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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27321586">Luz Noceda and the Olympians: The Lost Goddess</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheksmex/pseuds/sheksmex'>sheksmex</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Owl House (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Angst, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 00:00:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>137,448</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27321586</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheksmex/pseuds/sheksmex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Luz’s mother really doesn’t want to send Luz to camp. She knows once she leaves, there is no going back. But Luz has a knack for getting into trouble, and one day she stumbles into the same type of people her mother would have preferred she avoided. After helping Luz dissolve her high school bully into dust, Eda and Lilith know right away that this kid is just like them - a child of the gods. So Luz hops on a Pegasus and heads to Camp Half-blood, where she embarks on a dangerous quest that makes her both friends and enemies... and she might even save Olympus along the way.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amity Blight/Luz Noceda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>648</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>876</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I Steal My Bully's Necklace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi there :)</p><p>So I reread all the Percy Jackson books recently, and this idea popped into my head that I just couldn't get out. I'm not sure if anybody in TOH fandom has written something on AO3 like this before, but with all the awesome content out there I doubt I'm the first to have thought of this. I wasn't going to write it at all, but then I started sorting the characters into cabins and that was that the first chapter was written. </p><p>If you give it a read, please let me know what you think! I hope to update pretty regularly and have the next chapter up soon.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Get up, you freak!”</p><p>Luz coughed as she struggled to breathe after being thrown into the lockers. The wind had been knocked out of her and she already felt a lump forming on the back of her head where she had smacked it.</p><p>She was having the worst day at school, and that was saying something. Somehow, by some miracle, she had made it through the whole year at this one. But she had a terrible feeling that her luck wouldn’t last. Especially if the mean girl in her biology class wasn’t going to leave her alone.</p><p>She looked up to see the girl in question standing over her, grinning sadistically at her. She rubbed her hands together like some kind of mobster villain, her dog tag necklace hanging from her neck, and Luz fought the urge to roll her eyes. Lina had tormented her all year, and no matter what Luz did she couldn’t seem to shake her. Her dark amber eyes, (Luz swore sometimes they were almost red) were watching her like the next thing she would do to her was eat her. Her posse, two other girls her age, watched with their own small smiles. </p><p>She winced as she got to her feet, trying to control her anger. Terrible things happened when Luz got upset. She didn’t like this girl, but it wasn’t worth getting expelled over. Again.</p><p>This was Luz’s fifth school in twelve years. Ever since she started kindergarten, Luz was the problem child. She always managed to land herself into trouble, and she never really knew why. Half the time she hadn’t even done anything, weird things just seemed to happen to Luz. The other kids thought she was weird, so they never hung out with her, and so Luz had never really had any real friends. Teachers didn’t really like Luz either, her ADHD made learning really difficult, and so she always got bad grades. So when weird things would happen, the principal wouldn’t think twice. She would usually get expelled on the spot.</p><p>She didn’t want to get expelled again. Her Mami would be so disappointed in her. When Luz and her Mami had to move to New York City, her Mami had threatened her really good when they finally found a school that would take her.</p><p>“This is it, mija.” She had said. “I’m not doing this anymore. You either stay at this school and graduate or I’m sending you away to camp.”</p><p>That’s when Luz knew it was serious. Her Mami had not wanted to send her away to this camp. She had always threatened it when Luz was a little kid, but her Mami had never actually wanted to do it. She was stern, but Luz was all she had.</p><p>Besides, Luz never really understood why a summer camp would help straighten her out. If the military school she had gone to when she was ten was any indication, even they couldn’t get through to her.</p><p>Regardless, Luz wasn’t going to disappoint her Mami. So she got to her feet and did the first thing she could think to do.</p><p>She ran.</p><p>Breaking through the crowds of students who had been watching Lina bully her in the hallways, Luz ducked under the crowds and made a break for the staircase.</p><p>“Run, Luz Noceda!” Lina cackled as she fled. “Run from me!”</p><p>Anger flashed through Luz. She hated running. She wanted to stand and fight, to tell Lina off and get her to stop being a jerk. But she was outnumbered, and nobody would believe her anyway when something inevitably went wrong. It’s like her Mami said, “just keep your head low, Luz. Don’t engage, don’t fight back. Don’t give them a reason to punish you.”</p><p>So, despite the shame bubbling up in her chest, she kept running. She heard a commotion behind her, and Lina saying something to her friends before there was a cry of shock. And something that sounded strangely like hooves clamping along the tile.</p><p>Lina yelled something that definitely wasn’t English, but Luz understood it perfectly. Lina was following her, and the weirdness was starting again. She had to go before somebody blamed it on her.</p><p>Tearing down the stairs and pushing open the side exit to her school, Luz bolted down the alley she uses to get to the bus stop she takes home. It was her lunch period, so she’s hoping that by the time she gets back to school Lina will have long forgotten about her and she can get to her English class in one piece.</p><p>But then there’s a crash, and a furious scream from behind her and she realizes that Lina is following her. She begins to panic, picking up speed and darting into the new alley behind 94th street. There is a chain-link fence up ahead, and she breaks into a fresh sprint, launching her body up against it and over to the next street ahead.</p><p>Luz doesn’t know when she decided she wasn’t going back to school, but she knew that she needed to get away from Lina. She spared a glance back as she darted into the trafficked street, weaving through cars. Lina was still following her, her red eyes boring in fury into Luz’s back.</p><p>Luz gets onto the first bus she sees and fumbles for her MetroCard in her back pocket, slamming it down on the pad without looking back. She breaks for the back of the bus, crouching into an aisle seat and shrinking her whole body away from the window. She pulls the hood of her cat hoodie over her head, praying she wasn’t seen. The bus starts to move, thankfully without Lina on it, and Luz tries to let her body relax.</p><p>She zones out, wary of everyone getting on the bus. After some time, the realization that she doesn’t actually know where she’s going hits her like a truck. At the next stop, she gets up and darts off the bus, passing a quick thank you to the driver. When she steps out into the street, she realizes she has traveled all the way down to 34th street, and the Empire State Building is glaring down at her several blocks away.</p><p>Luz isn’t quite sure what to do now. She wasn’t going back to school today, that was for sure. Her Mami could be mad at her for skipping later. It was the end of the year, and Luz had unofficially made it all the way through.</p><p>Deciding she should celebrate, Luz walks around the city for a little while. Her Mami would never want her to wander off on her own, but she decided after the incident with Lina at school she deserved it. She remembers the awesome candy store her Mami took her to when they moved to the city, and pulls out her phone to punch Dylan’s Candy Bar into her maps.  It’s only 20 minutes away, so she begins the trek through the city, putting in her earbuds and shuffling her favorite anime playlist.</p><p>Once she’s inside and picks out five chocolate bars and a pack of lemonade gumballs. As she approaches the register, the girl working the counter likes Luz so much, she throws in an extra bar for free. Luz thanks her enthusiastically, and she pays with the money she was going to use for lunch. She leaves the store and sits, beginning to chow down on her snacks on the street curb outside, but her eyes are still wearily scanning the streets as through Lina might appear at any moment. As she does this, she catches sight of the two strangest looking women she’s ever seen.</p><p>They’re both middle-aged, the first with black hair and piercing green eyes. The second is a little taller, with huge silver-grey hair. But what catches her attention is that both women are wearing huge, cosplay style cloaks – white and maroon respectively.</p><p>The woman with the huge hair and maroon cloak has a strange bird on her shoulder. Luz thinks it might be an owl. Not only that but when she squints Luz is almost positive the one with the white cloak has a weapon strapped to her belt. Her mouth immediately drops, and she gets up off the curb just as the pair duck into an alleyway. Tucking the remaining three chocolate bars into her blue backpack, (which has miraculously stayed on through her whole fight with Lina) she weaves through the streets to follow them. Luz wonders to herself if there’s some kind of Comicon or other convention she was missing.</p><p>She sneaks through the alleyway, peering at the two behind a dumpster. They are talking in low voices, so Luz slowly creeps forward to listen in.</p><p>“- called us to Olympus, it must be serious, Edalyn.” The first one says lowly.</p><p>“Don’t sweat it, sissy. We’ve been called in by dad before. It’s probably just another one of those check in’s.” The second says, shrugging.</p><p>“You must feel it.” The first mutters urgently. “The tension between the gods is only going to grow from here.”</p><p>“We have to stay patient, Lilith.” The second woman, Edalyn, responds. “Of course I’ve felt it, but until we’re told to summon the Oracle-”</p><p>“There you are!”</p><p>Luz squeals dropping her gumballs all over the alley, spinning around the dumpster to come face to face with Lina. She is furious, her red eyes boring into her, and she snarls at her angrily. Luz shrieks, realizing that Lina’s mouth is stretching to expose a pair of vicious and sharp looking fangs.</p><p>There is a commotion from behind her as the two women have realized they have been overheard, and Luz begins to feel guilty for eavesdropping. But she doesn’t turn to look at them, she has bigger problems right now.</p><p>“I have been hunting you for months, Luz Noceda,” Lina growls, baring her fangs. “You will not escape me again!”</p><p>“Please!” Luz exclaims, holding up her hands. “I don’t want to hurt you!”</p><p>“Hurt me?” Lina laughs, taking a few menacing steps forward. “You cannot hurt me, little demigod. I will kill you before you get the chance!”</p><p>Before Luz can process anything that is happening, Lina shifts, her body changing rapidly. Her feet morph out of her tattered jeans into one metallic leg and one with hooves, and Luz can’t help but scream. Lina leaps at her and out of pure instinct, Luz rolls. Lina flies past her and Luz presses her back against the brick building behind her in terror.</p><p>“What are you?” She yelps, her whole body vibrating in horror.</p><p>“That’s an <em>empousai</em>, kid.” The woman with the red cloak says calmly, and when Luz turns her head, the two women are staring down Lina with disinterest. Luz can’t believe how calm they are.</p><p>“A what?”</p><p>And before Luz can pinch herself to make sure she isn’t dreaming, the dark-haired woman reaches under her cloaks and draws the weapon that shimmers the shiniest bronze Luz has ever seen. The blaze shifts and forms right in front of her eyes from a knife into an eight-foot sharp staff. The grey-haired woman plucks the bird off of her shoulder and it coos (Luz is certain now it’s an Owl) before the bird shifts into a seven-foot bronze tipped spear.</p><p>Lina the <em>empousai</em>, or whatever she is, hisses at the sight of the blade.</p><p>“Daughters of Zeus,” she says, trying to remain composed. But Luz has been bullied by Lina for months now, and she knows she looks nervous. “This is no business of yours.”</p><p>“Actually, I think this is our business.” The dark-haired witch, Lilith, says coldly. “Any half-blood we find is under our protection. What is a servant of Hecate doing hunting a child of the gods?”</p><p>Lina shuffles her legs – or…hoof and metal leg – and is now visibly nervous. Edalyn smirks, exposing a single gold tooth that sticks out like a fang.</p><p>“Unless… Hecate doesn’t know you’re here,” she singsongs, and Lina growls ferociously and lunges towards the woman.</p><p>“I will kill you before she ever finds out!” She roars, and both women sidestep from the lunge. Edalyn stabs with her spear, which Lina deflects off of her metal leg. Lilith swings with her staff, and Lina ducks. Luz has been forgotten, and she is shaking violently against the wall, trying to get a grip as to what the heck is even happening right now.</p><p>What did Lina call her? A demigod? The Lilith called her a half-blood… that was a really insulting insinuation for someone who was biracial, Luz thought. Besides, she wasn’t biracial, her Mami told her that her father had been a businessman visiting from Brazil. But those women… she had called them the daughters of Zeus?</p><p>Even if Luz was confused, she recognized what was happening. Those women had jumped to her aid despite Luz eavesdropping on them. These women were protecting her, even if she was a complete stranger. So despite her shaking body, and the fact that she was probably bordering an anxiety attack, she leaped in to help.</p><p>While Lina’s back was turned, Luz took a running leap and lunged, wrapping her arms around Lina’s neck and squeezing. Lina roared in frustration and did her best to shake her off, and Luz heard Edalyn cackling in the background.</p><p>“Alright! Get em’ kid.”</p><p>“Edalyn, focus!” Lilith snapped before she swung her own staff.</p><p>Lina tucked backward, but she wasn’t fast enough to totally dodge the blade, and it skimmed her stomach. She roared in pain and anger and finally knocked Luz away from her, and she went skidding across the ground. Coughing, Luz got to her feet and looked up at Lina’s stomach. The slice stretched across her stomach, but there was no blood. Instead, the slash seemed to be slowly dissolving her body. Lina looked down on it and hissed, glaring her red eyes up at Luz with absolute hatred.</p><p>She screamed again and charged at Luz, who scrambled backward in panic, but Lina never got closer. Edalyn spun her spear around her back and lunged, stabbing Lina right through the side. With a final scream, her whole body began to disintegrate into dust, before all that was left of her was a small pile of ashes and Lina’s dog tag necklace.</p><p>Spinning the spear, it shifted back into the owl which perches itself on Edalyn’s shoulder. Lilith spins her own staff, turning it back to a knife and clipping it to her belt. Luz was left staring at the pile of dust with a wide-eyed, and totally shocked expression. Her adrenaline was starting to fade, and it was beginning to change into full-blown panic.</p><p>“What just happened?” She said, but it came out as more of a breathy squeak. “Did we just kill her?"</p><p>Edalyn shrugged and held out her hand to help Luz up, which she took. “Yes, and no. Monsters don’t really die, they just return to Tartarus and wait to respawn.”</p><p>“They go where to do what?” This sentence was so high pitched she was surprised either of them heard it.</p><p>“Edalyn, give her a minute to process,” Lilith mumbled eying Luz like she was broken glass about to shatter.</p><p>“She doesn’t need to process, she’s probably been through it all by now.” She retorted with a roll of her eyes. Looking down at Luz with a knowing glint in her eyes, she pulled her to her feet and reached over to brush some of the dirt off her hoodie. “Let me guess, kid. You’re a bit of a problem child, always moving from place to place… weird things happen to you that nobody else can explain?”</p><p>Luz blinked. “Yeah, exactly like that. How’d you know?”</p><p>She laughed as if Luz had just said the funniest thing she’d ever heard. “Because we’re all like that. You’re an older one too, you’ve probably been on the monster's scent for a while. I don’t know how you possibly stayed alive without any help from camp.”</p><p>Luz felt a chill go up her spine. “Wait, camp? My Mami mentioned a camp… she always threatened to send me there if I didn’t straighten up…”</p><p>Edalyn and Lilith shared a look before they turned back to her.</p><p>“That monster said your name was Luz right?” Edalyn said, a little softer this time.</p><p>Luz nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s me. Luz Noceda.”</p><p>“I’m Eda, and this is my sister Lilith,” Eda said with a smile. “We’re the co-directors of Camp Half-blood.”</p><p>“Camp Half-Blood,” Luz said in a monotone voice. “Half what? I’m Latina.”</p><p>They shared another look.</p><p>“Half-blood doesn’t have anything to do with race,” Lilith said slowly. “It means people who are half-human, and half god.”</p><p>Luz’s mouth dropped open. She stared blankly between the two of them, not even sure what to say.</p><p>“God? Like…. Jesus?” she stuttered out, and Eda chuckled.</p><p>“No, like Greek God, kid. Half-bloods are kids with one human parent and one godly parent.” She reached under her cloak and pulled out a necklace that had been concealed previously. It had a gold pendant the shape of a thunderbolt. “Lily and I are sisters, but we have the same godly parent. Zeus.”</p><p>Luz’s brain began to finally work again, and she did her best to just try and process what she was saying. Nodding slowly, Luz does her best to recall her minimal knowledge of Greek deities she’s learned from books and movies.</p><p>“The god of the sky.” Luz nods, and Eda shrugs.</p><p>“Sure, among other things.”</p><p>Luz begins to pace, as she always does when her brain is moving too fast for her body. “Lina called me a demigod. Are you saying that my dad is a Greek God?”</p><p>“Well, that helps narrow down the possibilities,” Lilith said, keeping her voice calm and mellow. “A while ago the god’s made a promise to claim all of their children by the time they turn thirteen.”</p><p>“I’m fourteen,” Luz said. “Does that mean my dad forgot about me?”</p><p>“Nope, you just haven’t come to camp yet,” Eda said with a grin. “Most demigods come to Camp Half-Blood for training to defend themselves against monsters. The older you get, the stronger your scent is to them. You’re lucky you’ve been able to stay so inconspicuous for so long.”</p><p>Luz was suddenly presented with a lot of options for the first time in her life. Despite everything she had just learned, she wasn’t scared, or afraid. It actually made so much sense. All those terrible memories she could never explain, like the man with one eye who had tried to get her into his car when she was eleven. Or the women with leather wings who had watched her from the playground in first grade. All those weird things, that nobody had ever believed, finally clicked.</p><p>And sure, her Mami always told her not to trust strangers, but she figured this was a bit of an extenuating circumstance. Eda and Lilith were weird, but Luz liked it. She finally felt like she was seen and understood.</p><p>Plus, they had just killed her high school bully. She owed them one. Not that she needed much convincing anyways on what she wanted to do next.</p><p>“Will you take me?” Luz asked quietly, looking up at them slowly. “I mean... if you aren’t too busy or anything?”</p><p>Eda and Lilith shot each other a little smile, before nodding.</p><p>“Sure kid, we did have a meeting at Olympus, but Lily can go in my place.”</p><p>“It’s our job to make sure demigods get there safely, it’s our first priority,” Lilith added, clasping her hands together. “Edalyn, do you have your Pegasus whistle?”</p><p>“Oh yeah, I’ve got that here somewhere…” Eda mumbled, digging through her cloak pockets. Luz was still trying to fathom the fact that they had a meeting at the actual Mount Olympus when Eda pulled out a little bronze whistle and blew it into the sky.</p><p>After a second, there was a swooshing sound coming from above us, and the most beautiful horse Luz had ever seen glided down in the alley. It was a pure white horse with gorgeous wings that it tucked back into its sides as it came to a stop next to Eda.</p><p>“Oh wow!” Luz said in awe, and the Pegasus snorted almost bashfully.</p><p>Lilith walked over to the pile of dust that was once Luz’s bully and picked up the dog tag necklace still lying on the ground. She handed it to Luz, who took it hesitantly.</p><p>“It’s a spoil of war,” Lilith explained, giving Luz a small smile. “Your first kill as a half-blood.”</p><p>Luz didn’t really want it, she didn’t have the fondest memories of Lina. But she didn’t understand a lot of this half-blood stuff yet and wasn’t going to start by refusing Lilith.</p><p>“Err… thanks.” She ended up saying, and thankfully, Lilith laughed. </p><p>Eda leaped over the horses back, extending a hand to Luz. “Well? Are you coming?” </p><p>Luz hesitated for only a second. She thought about her mom back home, and how she was going to be wondering in a couple of hours why she wasn’t home from school. But she quickly pushed it down as she thought about what awaited her. She could call her when she got to camp.</p><p>Throwing the necklace over her shoulders and taking Eda’s hand, the women helped Luz sit behind her on the horse. Waving goodbye to Lilith with the promise to see her later at camp, Eda urged the Pegasus into a run down the alleyway. The horse began to pick up speed as they almost hit the busy street, before it leaped into the air, taking flight. Luz whooped in glee, feeling the wind blow through her face as she gripped the back of Eda’s cloak.</p><p>She looked down at the busy moving streets in Manhattan and realized with the confusion that nobody seemed to be looking twice at them.</p><p>“If I saw something as cool as this, I would have stared,” Luz mumbled to herself, almost offended nobody thought this was as awesome as she did.</p><p>She heard Eda laugh, and Luz’s cheeks flushed red. She hadn’t meant to be overheard.</p><p>“Mortals don’t see things the way we do. There’s a layer that covers their eyes from seeing our world. We call it the Mist.”</p><p>Soon, the Pegasus had left Manhattan, and the pair were flying over Queens. The view, while still being amazing, was starting to not be enough to keep Luz’s thoughts at bay. Turning to Eda, she realized she still had so many questions. Her eyes trained onto the little owl tucked onto Eda’s shoulder. Now that she’s looking at him, she realizes he looks 100% real. He coos softly into Eda and blinks it’s gold eyes brightly at her in a way that looks friendly.</p><p>“Owlbert is waiting for you to pet him,” Eda comments offhandedly, and Luz jumps back as though she was shocked.</p><p>“Owlbert?” She repeats back, and Eda nods her head. Taking that as enough encouragement, Luz hesitantly reaches forward and tickles the owl's tummy. He feels soft and warm, just like a real tiny owl. When she strokes him, he coos again happily.</p><p>“Owlbert's both a great weapon and a great companion,” Eda says with a smile, shooting Luz a wink. “A gift from a goddess after I helped her on a quest when I was just a little older than you.”</p><p>Luz lets herself process that information.</p><p>“My Mami said she didn’t want to send me to camp,” she eventually says, as though it’s some scandalous secret. “If it’s supposed to be a safe place for people like me… why wouldn’t she want me there?”</p><p>Eda hummed, and Luz picked up that Eda had been wondering the same thing. “Some parents want to protect their kids from this world. It’s dangerous, and the less you know the safer you are. That’s probably why you’ve been able to evade monsters like the <em>empousai</em>.”</p><p>“Lilith said the<em> empousai</em> was a servant of Hecate,” Luz commented, leaning over to look at Eda’s face. Her gold eyes were looking back at her playfully. “If my dad is a god, why would another god’s servant attack me?”</p><p>“Gods have been around much longer than us, Luz,” Eda said with a shrug. “They have a history that precedes any of us. Maybe your dad angered Hecate at some point.”</p><p>“But she looked scared when you said Hecate didn’t know she was there,” Luz pointed out, and Eda broke into a grin.</p><p>“You’re smarter than you look, kid. And I can’t say for sure why she was there, but a lot of weird stuff has been going on in our world recently.” She hummed thoughtfully, turning her eyes to look ahead once again. “Lily thinks it’s the reason we were called to Olympus. Your monster friend might have something to do with it.”</p><p>“She’s not my friend.” Luz retorted, biting her lip. “I don’t have any friends. People at school don’t like me.”</p><p>“You’re not the only weirdo out there,” Eda said, shrugging her shoulders. “None of us at camp fit in with the other mortals. That’s why Lily and I work so hard to keep the camp safe. Us weirdo’s have to stick together, you know? Camp Half-blood is our home.”</p><p>Luz felt her heart warm up at that, and she broke into a smile of her own. She liked the thought of that, being with people just like her in a place that genuinely felt like home. She had moved around so much, and been outcasted by so many kids her age, she had never known what that truly felt like. All she had was her Mami.</p><p>After the Pegasus left Queens, Luz wasn’t really sure where she was or where they were heading. But soon the smell of saltwater began to fill her nose, and Eda perked up in front of her.</p><p>“We’re close now. The camp is near Long Island Sound. Get ready to descend.”</p><p>Luz peaked over Eda’s shoulder, her stomach flipping in both nervousness and excitement. Eventually, the Pegasus swooped into a downward glide, and Luz got her first glimpse of the camp.</p><p>There were camp cabins stretched across what looked like a pavilion and a beach where she could see a few canoes. It looked like people eventually caught sight of the Pegasus, and when they saw Eda, they waved up at them. Most of the campers she saw were wearing orange t-shirts, and Luz noticed that a lot of them had some kind of weapon strapped to their belts.</p><p>Finally, the Pegasus touched down on a grassy field, and Luz could see a huge house with sky blue sliding sitting on top of a hill surrounded by strawberry fields. Luz breathed in a gasp. The place was beautiful.</p><p>Eda leaped off the Pegasus, and a crowd began to gather around them. Luz began to feel anxiety at the number of eyes staring at them, but then Eda extended a hand to her, shooting her a warm and excited smile.</p><p>“We're here, Luz. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I Meet the Camp's Talking Hellhound</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi there! I'm back again with the next chapter.</p><p>Thank you all for your thoughtful comments and kudos. I really didn't expect people to be this excited about this story! I hurried to finish the next chapter so you could all enjoy it. I hope you guys approve of the godly parents I picked for these characters, there is one that I have a feeling might be a little controversial, but it is discussed later on in the story so it will eventually make sense!</p><p>Thanks so much for giving it a read! I hope you like it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The introduction to the camp was pretty brief. Eda more or less just waved nonchalantly with her hand to the gathering crowd.</p><p>“Luz, these are the other campers. Other campers, Luz.”</p><p>A chorus of hellos rang throughout the clearing, and Luz slowly began to relax. A lot of the campers looked like kids like her: the youngest being six or seven and the oldest being around college age. There was a huge diversity of campers, kids of all different races and ethnicities, and most of them sporting an orange shirt that Luz could now read: “Camp Half-Blood, Long Island Sound”.</p><p>“Alright, with introductions out of the way, all of you should be heading back to your activities for the day.” Eda drawled, and the crowd began to disperse. There was a handful of campers who stuck around though.</p><p>There was a girl who looked about her age with black curly hair and green eyes, and Luz thought that she looked like the friendliest person she’d ever seen. She carried a bronze Spartan <em>kopis</em> on her belt, and in her left hand, she was holding a pot that was growing a golden plant unlike any Luz had seen before.</p><p>Next to her was a skinny boy with dark brown skin and dark eyes, who was both shorter and younger than Luz herself. His hair was styled into a fashionable fade, and if Luz had to guess he was maybe twelve. He was wearing a bronze chest plate that was clearly a size too big, but despite how uncomfortable it must have been he was smiling brightly.</p><p>“Eda, I helped the naiad in the forest like you asked.” The girl said, her voice mellow and soft. “It turns out she was still upset about the visiting party ponies”.</p><p>“A centaur from the Florida chapter trampled under her tree,” the boy added. “Willow fixed up the roots super-fast!”</p><p>Eda nodded at the pair, “thanks, kids. I swear to Zeus, Fennel has some knack for holding grudges… the party ponies left three weeks ago.”</p><p>“Eda?” The noise came from a third camper, who had been standing awkwardly off to the side. She was also around Luz’s age but maybe half an inch taller. She had dyed green hair pulled half back that exposed brown roots at the top of her head, and Luz found herself looking curiously at her eyes. At first, she thought they were brown, but then she realized they were, in fact, gold like Eda’s. The girl had her arms crossed, and she was standing a noticeable distance from the other two campers. The pair shared a look with one another that Luz understood immediately, and she felt that feeling of discomfort beginning to prick at her belly, the one she often felt on the first day of a new school. Luz immediately pegged this girl as the bully type.</p><p>Eda hummed, looking up at the girl like she had just noticed she was standing there. Luz felt a small grin starting to poke at the corners of her mouth as the girl’s face began to tint red, clearly embarrassed. The girl caught Luz’s expression and her face darkened, giving Luz a glare. Luz cut the smile right away. Despite the fact that she didn’t seem to be carrying a weapon, Luz thought this girl would have no hesitation gutting her with her bare hands. If looks could kill…</p><p>“Where’s Lilith? She told me she’d train me tonight when you got back.” The girl said, turning back to Eda with an airy and impartial look.</p><p>“She’s still at Olympus,” Eda said with a shrug. “We found Luz here in Manhattan so Lily and I decided I should take her to camp. She should be meeting with the council right now.”</p><p>“Oh…” The girl said, clearly not expecting that answer.</p><p>“Anyways, since I’m back I might as well head to my cooking class,” Eda shrugged, gesturing to the three other campers. “Show Luz around camp, will you? When you’re done introduce her to Cabin Eleven.”</p><p>Eda didn’t wait for them to respond. She just turned tail and walked away, leaving Luz and the other three campers standing there a little awkwardly. The girl scoffed after Eda left, turning on her heel.</p><p>“She doesn’t need three tour guides. You can show her around. I have better things to do.”</p><p>As the girl walked away, Luz felt like she had been slapped. “So much for a warm welcome…”</p><p>“Ignore her,” the girl said with a shrug, shifting the pot in her hand. “Amity is just like that.”</p><p>The boy smiled and extended his hand, and Luz took it with a nervous smile. “I’m Gus from Cabin Six.”</p><p>The girl smiled brightly at her, waving with the free hand that wasn’t around the pot. “I’m Willow, from Cabin Four. Eda said your name was Luz, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, Luz Noceda,” she said, blinking at the way they introduced themselves. “From Cabin… I don’t really know what happening”.</p><p>Thank God (or… I guess… gods?) the pair laughed. Luz felt herself relax a little. She already found herself liking Willow and Gus, and she wondered if Eda had been right when she said that everybody here was a little weird.</p><p>“Don’t worry, it can be overwhelming at first, but you’ll get the hang of it,” Willow encouraged with a smile.</p><p>“Come on, we’ll show you around!” Gus said excitedly, and Luz grinned, following after them as they turned around and started to walk.</p><p>They showed Luz the archery range, and the rock climbing wall, (Luz winced thinking about how her Mami would kill her if she ever tried that, she watched another camper scrape past the lava with the hairs singed off her arms) the canoe lake, and the pavilion where Willow said everybody met for dinner. Then they guided Luz through all the cabins if they could even be called that.</p><p>“Why do they all look so different?” Luz gasped, taking in the arrangement of colors and designs that varied from cabin to cabin. Cabin Four, which Luz remembered Willow was in, was covered in flowers and tomato plants growing up the walls. It had a roof made of real grass. As they passed, Willow waved to a girl with blonde hair standing on the porch watering wildflowers.</p><p>“Each cabin represents a patron god,” Willow explained. “You get sorted based on who your godly parent is.”</p><p>Luz hummed thoughtfully, “ok I get it. So Cabin Four…”</p><p>“My mom is Demeter,” Willow said. “Goddess of the harvest”.</p><p>“Well… technically-” Gus was about to speak, but when he caught Willow’s look, he swallowed his words and quickly changed the subject.  </p><p>“And I’m Cabin Six!” He said quickly, gesturing to a different Cabin that was grey with white curtains. There was an owl design hanging over the door. “My mom is Athena, the goddess of wisdom.”</p><p>Luz noticed the awkward tension between Willow and Gus, but she was so impressed by what she just heard she let it slide.</p><p>“Wow, so you must be pretty smart then,” Luz said, and Gus’ cheeks pinked.</p><p>“I mean, not really…”</p><p>“He’s being modest,” Willow deadpanned, rolling her eyes affectionately at the younger boy. “He skipped three grades.”</p><p>“Oh wow! Good for you, Gus,” Luz said, and she meant every word. Considering Luz had barely managed to pass most of her classes, and considered a C a job well done? That really impressed her.</p><p>“So, what about you Luz?” Gus asked, now so embarrassed he had to change the subject again. “Is your godly parent your mom or dad?”</p><p>“My dad,” Luz said, humming as she looked around at all the different cabins. “I wonder which god he is?”</p><p>“Well, let’s see what kind of skills you might have!” Gus said excitedly, and the trio began to compare the different cabins to try and narrow down the results.</p><p>She saw some campers by the basketball court shooting baskets, and some of them were crazy shots too. Willow had said they were from Cabin Seven, Apollo. From what Luz remembered he was the god of music and poetry. Luz didn’t have a musical bone in her body, so she could cross that one off the list. She wondered if maybe Zeus was her dad, like Eda and Lilith, but then Willow gently explained to her that their cabin was pretty exclusive. She was a terrible swimmer and hated the water, so she was definitely not a Poseidon kid. She got pretty angry a lot, but she didn’t think that was because she was a child of Ares. Luz was pretty sure she was just frustrated with her situation at school. Maybe she belonged in the wing of the minor gods. She could see her mom falling for one of those guys… someone more lowkey. But her mom had always told her that her father was a very successful businessman… that didn’t sound lowkey.</p><p>Luz was going to raise this concern to her new friends when she noticed something she had ignored earlier. Around both Gus and Willow’s neck was a brown leather necklace, with beads strung around it. “Cool necklaces,” Luz comments, pointing to them. “Did you buy them together?”</p><p>Willow chuckled, reaching under her orange shirt to give Luz a closer look. “Nope, everybody at camp gets one when they’ve stayed for at least one summer. A different cabin every year designs the beads based on an event or memory the camp has and gives them to each camper at the end of August. I have four beads for four summers.”</p><p>Gus reaches down to show Luz his own necklace. “And I have three beads for three summers!”</p><p>Luz awed over the different designs, the art on them was so intricate and beautiful Luz couldn’t help but ask about the shared designs, especially since one of them had what looked like a hot air balloon on fire.</p><p>“Oh, that was a crazy summer,” Gus said with a grin, launching into the story.</p><p>The trio talked for so long, that soon the warning bell rang for dinner. Willow jumped up like she’d been burned.</p><p>“Oh shoot! We were supposed to introduce you to Cabin Eleven. We can go there now quickly.”</p><p>“Cabin Eleven?” Luz said with a raised brow, but she couldn’t say much else as Willow grabbed her arm and practically dragged her across the U shaped wing of cabins. Eventually, they parked her right outside one of the cabin doors, and there was a girl standing outside the porch. She had tied back brown hair and a single fishhook earring. She looked a little older than Luz, maybe sixteen. Luz immediately liked her, she looked pretty laid back and cool.</p><p>“Hi, Viney!” Gus grinned, and the girl shot him a friendly smile.</p><p>“Hey, guys! Eda told me there was a new camper, so I decided to wait around here until she showed up.”</p><p>“Sorry we’re so late, I know you need to get your cabin to dinner,” Willow said apologetically, and Viney just shrugged her shoulders.</p><p>“We’re always late. It’s no problem.” She turned to Luz, who for the first time all day didn’t feel anxious around someone new. “You must be Luz. Welcome to Cabin Eleven! I’m Viney. Hopefully, you’ll be comfortable here. All new campers stay with us until they get claimed.”</p><p>Luz had a couple of follow up questions to that, but she didn’t really have time to ask them, because Willow and Gus were now waving goodbye.</p><p>“We’ll see you later, Luz. Let us know if you need anything!” Willow said, and Luz nodded to them before they headed out, likely back to their cabins.</p><p>“If you’re looking to make friends, they’re a good start,” Viney said to Luz with a smile. “Almost everybody at camp likes Willow and Gus.”</p><p>“Not everybody though,” Luz said with a frown, remembering that other girl, Amity.</p><p>Viney shrugged, “you win some and lose some. Now come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the cabin.”</p><p>The cabin itself looked pretty unassuming from the outside. It was a light brown, it looked like it had recently been repainted, and there was a caduceus over the door. Inside, there were about a dozen bunk beds, each with a simple brown chest at the end of it. Some of the bunks were decorated with posters or pictures, but a lot of them kept a simple kind of design. Luz already liked it in here, it was homey, but not busy enough for her ADHD brain to hyper-focus on any one thing. Luz counted about eighteen campers in total, which meant there was a good number of empty beds. The campers all turned to look as Viney and Luz walked in.</p><p>“Alright Cabin Eleven,” she called to them. “This is Luz, our new undetermined camper. Play nice. We’re leaving for dinner in five minutes, so be ready.”</p><p>Luz waved awkwardly, but thankfully most of the cabin seemed just as friendly as Gus and Willow.</p><p>“Hey Luz, you can have this bed right here,” one of the boys said, gesturing to the bunk above the one he was sitting on. The boy had brown hair and a pointed nose, and he fidgeted with his hands. It didn’t bother Luz. She could relate to that.</p><p>She grinned at the nice gesture, hoping it revealed just how relieved she was. “Thanks.”</p><p>Luz walks over to the bunk and takes off her backpack, and is about to throw it on the bed when the boy shakes his head quickly.</p><p>“Don’t leave that there, it’s a rookie mistake,” he says, and Luz eyes him uncertainly.</p><p>The boy sighs and then gives her a crooked smile. “Our dad, Hermes, is the god of merchants and travelers… but also thieves. If you have anything valuable, leave it in the chest. We can share it.”</p><p>Luz understands immediately. Opening her backpack, she pulls out her sketchbook and a pack of drawing pencils, her phone charger, and her earbuds. Her phone and wallet with her MetroCard and the remaining change she has are also there, so she leaves those things in the chest and slings her backpack over the edge of the top bunk. The boy shuts it when she’s done, and tells Luz the code.</p><p>“Thanks for the warning,” Luz whispers softly, and the boy shrugs.</p><p>“Don’t mention it. We were all new once. I’m Jerbo, by the way.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you. I’m Luz.”</p><p>Viney stands from the front entrance of the cabin and holds up her hand to get everyone’s attention. “Cabin Eleven! Fall in!”</p><p>The cabin falls into rank by order of seniority, so of course, Luz is last, but she doesn’t mind. Together the Hermes Cabin walks towards the pavilion, where all the other cabins have gathered for dinner. Luz spots Willow and Gus with their siblings, and then Amity sitting over at the table right next to Luz. She makes eye contact with Luz, and then scoffs, turning away. Next to her, a pair of green-haired campers that are no doubt twins say something to her, and her face goes red. She elbows the boy hard, and the girl laughs loudly.</p><p>At the head table, Eda is sitting there with Lilith, who must have gotten back while Willow and Gus were showing her around. There’s also a boy with red hair and glasses, chatting amicably with what Luz can only describe as a talking black mastiff. It has a red collar, and Luz’s mouth can’t help but drop open at the sight. But she guesses she’s seen weirder things today.</p><p>“That’s King, the camp's loyal hellhound,” Viney says from across Luz, noticing her staring. “Hellhounds are usually ten times that size, but King’s always been special.”</p><p>“He can talk.” Luz just says, and Jerbo laughs.</p><p>“Oh yeah. Thinks himself real special for being able to as well. He follows Eda around everywhere.”</p><p>"Who's the boy next to him?" Luz asks curiously.</p><p>"That's Barcus, the camp's oracle. He's human and lives here at camp during the summer. When campers go on quests they get a prophecy from him." </p><p>That is way too weird for Luz to process, and she opens her mouth to ask a hundred follow-up questions but doesn't get the chance. Eda and Lilith get to their feet, and the camp quiets. Lilith is the first to speak.</p><p>“Good evening campers. Today we welcome a new half-blood to our ranks. Everybody, please welcome Luz Noceda.”</p><p>There is a series of whispers as people turn to look at her, and some of the campers say hello and wave in her direction. Luz rubs her neck in embarrassment when Gus whoops from next to his brothers and sisters. Viney pats her back encouragingly.</p><p>“As you all know on Friday we will be having our weekly game of Capture the Flag.” Eda continues once the murmurings settle. “The captains have been randomly selected, and this time the teams will be the Hermes cabin against the Aphrodite cabin.”</p><p>Luz’s table erupts into cheers, and Viney grins from ear to ear. Luz notices the table Amity is sitting at also explodes with noise, and she looks quite pleased with herself. Luz wonders if she misheard.  </p><p>“Amity’s mom is Aphrodite?” Luz says in surprise, and Viney nods her head.</p><p>“Yeah. Why are you asking?”</p><p>“It’s just…” Luz isn’t sure what to think about that. “Isn’t she the goddess of love?”</p><p>“And beauty,” Viney says as she shoots her a sly smile. “But also passion. Be careful of what you’re assuming. Sure you get the prissy campers every once in a while, but the Aphrodite cabin can be a force to be reckoned with. The Blight siblings make sure of that.” She gestures to Amity and the two green-haired campers who had been talking to her earlier, and Luz hums as she processes this new information. Eda’s voice snaps her back to reality.</p><p>“Yes, yes, in any case, captains will have to have their teams ready by tomorrow night.” Eda continues, and she tries to speak seriously, but her smile gives away just how excited she is. “Now, it’s time we eat.”</p><p>As if Eda just spoke some kind of spell, food begins to spill out from around the entrance to the pavilion. There are these weird chicken ladies (Viney calls them Harpies) that pass around a variety of barbecued meats, fruits, vegetables, and all kinds of food that makes Luz’s mouth water. She loads her plate and then gets handed an empty goblet, and looks at it uncertainly.</p><p>“Say whatever you want, and it’ll appear,” Jerbo says helpfully, and Luz breaks into a grin.</p><p>“Lime soda!”</p><p>The goblet fills with bubbly light green liquid. Luz takes a sip and her eyes widen in awe. It’s identical to the ones her Mami buys.</p><p>Mami! She’s probably wondering where she is right now. She left her phone in the Cabin, but she makes a mental note to call her after dinner.</p><p>Before she can dig in, she sees her cabin begin to get up and make their way over to the fire. They take something off their plate and chuck it in, muttering what seems to be a prayer as they do.</p><p>“It’s an offering to the gods,” Jerbo explains quickly, before doing the same thing.</p><p>Luz approaches and doesn’t quite know what to do. But she takes a cluster of delicious-looking grapes and tosses it in the fire anyway.</p><p>
  <em>Dad, if you’re listening… thank you for letting me come here. I really like it so far.</em>
  
</p><p>The fire roars, and Luz is taken aback by the smell. It’s like parchment and a dewy morning before school. It’s comforting.</p><p>Eda and Lilith once again get the attention of the crowd. They raise their goblets, and all the campers follow.</p><p>“For the gods!” They say.</p><p>“For the gods!” The campers repeat.</p><p>Luz eats until she can’t eat anymore. Once you’re done dinner, the rule is campers are allowed to visit other tables. Willow and Gus join Luz at the Hermes table, and they all begin to have a steady conversation.</p><p>“So how did Eda stumble across you in Manhattan?” Viney asks, and Luz timidly launches into the story. When she’s done, Gus whistles lowly.</p><p>“You helped them kill an <em>empousai</em>?” He mumbles in awe. “Servants of Hecate are no easy win.”</p><p>“Gus is a fan of Hecate’s illusions,” Willow explains with a smile. “While some campers might use it for pranks, Gus uses it for showmanship.”</p><p>“We’ll let me tell you, she was scary,” Luz says with a shiver. “I don’t know what I would have done if Eda and Lilith weren’t there to save me.”</p><p>“Don’t sell yourself short,” Viney says, reaching over to nudge her arm. “You leaped on the back of a monster with no weapon. That’s pretty brave.”</p><p>“Or pretty stupid,” Jerbo comments teasingly.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Luz,” Willow says with a smile when her face begins to heat up in embarrassment. “Gus and I can take you tomorrow to find you some kind of weapon.”</p><p>“That sounds great,” Luz said, relieved.</p><p>Soon, the harpies began to clear the plates, and her new friends got up to head down to the campfire to sing songs and roast marshmallows. Luz was eager to join them, but she remembered the mental note she’d made earlier. Making a promise that’d she be there soon, she was about to leave the pavilion to go get her phone when she was stopped with a firm hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“Where are you running off to, kid?”</p><p>Luz turned to see Eda, standing behind her petting Owlbert who was resting on her shoulder. Luz broke into a smile.</p><p>“Oh, hi Eda. I was just heading to Cabin Eleven to pick up my-”</p><p>“I just wanted to tell you that I spoke to your mother this afternoon,” Eda said, and Luz effectively shut her mouth and raised her eyebrows. “She was pretty angry that you ran off from school, but when I told her where you were she seemed to cool down.”</p><p>“Is she ok? She’s not worried about me right?” Luz said anxiously, and Eda smiled softly.</p><p>“No, lucky for you she seemed to have realized she couldn’t keep you from camp for much longer. She just wanted me to tell you that she loves you and hopes you're being safe and that you made it through the school year. You’ll be welcomed back to the same high school in the fall.”</p><p>Luz felt relief hit her like a pound of bricks. She really didn’t want to worry about her Mami needing to find her another school. She worked full time at the hospital, she worried enough.</p><p>“I told her that we don’t allow cellphones at camp since they send out a lot of signals to monsters and that if you wanted to contact her you’d have to see me.” Eda finished, and Luz tightened her lips. She wasn’t exactly sure why cellphones weren’t allowed, but she was glad she hadn’t admitted to Eda she had one. “So I was going to ask you if you wanted to call her, but now that I see you’re running off… I’m wondering if somebody might have something they’re not supposed to have.”</p><p>Luz began to panic, but thankfully Eda just chuckled. “Well, that look says it all. Just be careful kid. I’m a fan of troublemakers myself, but my sister sure isn’t. Keep it on the down-low.”</p><p>Luz nodded quickly, and Eda chucks her one more sly smile. “Your mom sent us over some pocket money for you to get whatever you need while you’re here. It’s at the camp store, so whenever you want to go buy some clothes or whatever just give them a visit.”</p><p>The talking hellhound Luz had seen earlier made their way over to Eda and Luz, and sat down at Eda’s feet, casting a suspicious look at Luz.</p><p>“Who are you? Who dares disturb the King of Demons?”</p><p>“You’re not the King of demons, you’re King <em>the</em> demon,” Eda muttered to the hellhound, rolling her eyes. “There's a difference. And you came over to us."</p><p>King just looks up and her and Eda facepalms, waving her hand toward Luz in defeat. "This is Luz, our new camper.”</p><p>Now that Luz was face to face with King, she found him a lot less freaky. In fact, he was kind of adorable.</p><p>“Awww, look at this little guy!” She said cooing, reaching down to meet King at eye level. “You’re so cute!”</p><p>“I am not cute!” The hellhound barked back in annoyance, and Luz reached over and pat him on the head. Despite looking angry, the hellhound leaned into the touch.</p><p>“What a sucker,” Eda mumbled under her breath, and King made a noise of annoyance. “Anyway Luz, if you need anything don’t think twice about coming to find me. I hope you’ve noticed, but everybody here is kind of one big family. We help each other out.”</p><p>Luz felt that warm feeling again, and without even realizing she was doing it, she leaned over and hugged Eda tightly, trying to express how grateful she really was. Eda huffed in surprise, before hesitantly hugging her back.</p><p>“Thank you, Eda,” Luz whispered into her shoulder.</p><p>Eda laughed awkwardly, patting her shoulder. “Anytime, kid.”  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Follow me on tumblr @thegoodgayshit :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. I Make My Second Enemy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again!</p><p>Due to my inability to get this idea out of my head, I have written very fast and have the next chapter ready for you to enjoy! I just want to thank you all again for your thoughtful comments. I love reading them and it really makes my day that you guys are enjoying this fanfic as much as I am!</p><p>I won't make this too long, and I'll just let you all enjoy the next chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz thinks her first night at Camp Half-Blood was a success. She laughed along with her new friends at the campfire, singing songs and telling stories before she went back to Cabin Eleven and got her first night of sleep.</p><p>But then the dreams started.</p><p>It seemed innocent enough. Luz was standing in the hallways of her school alone, grabbing books from her locker. But then she felt her body slam against it, once again being thrown just like she had by Lina earlier that afternoon. She couldn’t see anything as her body turned, and she realized with a panic that something cold and sharp pressed into her spine.</p><p>“Yes, little hero,” the voice whispered coldly against her. “Play the pawn, be the god’s pet, just as we were. You are a fool.”</p><p>Just before she thought for sure she would get run through with a sword, she threw herself awake in her bunk, breathing heavily.</p><p>It was sometime early in the morning, just before dawn. She had been so exhausted from the night before, she had fallen asleep in her hoodie and shorts. Not that she had pajamas, but she would have at least just worn her leggings and a tank top. The dog tag necklace she had stolen from Lina was still around her neck, and Luz took it off as quickly as she could with her shaky hands.</p><p>Careful not to wake her sleeping cabinmates, Luz carefully crept to her chest she shared with Jerbo, opening it and taking out her phone, sketchbook, and some of the hanging tacks.</p><p>She crept back up to her bed, hanging the dog tag necklace on her portion of the wall using a tack and pulling the blanket over her head, using her phone flashlight to open the sketchbook and start drawing. She drew what she had experienced in her dream, being pressed against the floor and pushed down by a stranger holding a sword. Shivering at the scary drawing, she flipped the page and decided to just draw some fanart to calm herself down. She didn’t have a lot of room left in her book, but she figured it was worth space. She drew herself as Azura from her favorite book series, and she felt her mood already start to go up as she worked.</p><p>Before long the rest of the cabin got up and the day began. After eating a quick breakfast in the pavilion, the Hermes cabin began their activities for the day.</p><p>Viney had explained to Luz what it meant to be claimed at the campfire last night, and she said that at any moment now a god would give some kind of sign she was their daughter. But the moment at the campfire never came. Luz had the feeling Viney was letting her give things a try, to see if she picked anything up in particular that would give away her godly parent.</p><p>She wasn’t very good at archery, but she wasn’t terrible either. She did have to apologize to Skara, one of the Apollo kids, after almost skewering her while she went to go pick up her arrows. She didn’t mind canoeing, but she confessed to Jerbo that she was a little nervous about falling in the water. Luz knew how to swim, but right now she only had this set of clothes, and really didn’t want them to get wet.</p><p>After archery and canoeing, the Hermes cabin gathered in the arena to practice sword fighting. Viney fit Luz into some of the practice armor and handed Luz a four-foot blade that felt clumsy in her hand. She wasn’t bad at sword fighting either, but she felt like she couldn’t move quickly in the bulky armor, and got knocked down by Jerbo more than once.</p><p>After that, they had an hour for a break. Luz was supposed to meet Willow and Gus by the shed outside Cabin Six in half an hour, so she figured she would walk to the camp store and buy herself some more clothes.</p><p>The store was pretty cute looking and had a decent selection of supplies. The cashier today was a camper, one Luz thought she recognized playing basketball the previous day. He nodded to her when she walked in.</p><p>She headed to the counter, meeting him with a smile. “Hi, Eda said my mom sent me some money here. It should be under the name Luz Noceda?”</p><p>He smiled breezily, looking unbothered. “Yeah sure, let me get that for you.”</p><p>Her mom had sent over a hundred dollars for her to spend. She couldn’t help but grin ecstatically. She had never had that much money before. She’d have to text her Mami thank you.</p><p>She cruised through the shop, picking up a couple of the classic orange t-shirts, a hoodie, a pair of extra shorts, and a pair of jeans in case it gets cold. She grabbed a set of pajama shorts and a clean white shirt to sleep in, a toothbrush, and some other toiletries off the shelf. As she was piling it on the counter, she grabbed some of her own sticky tacks to decorate her bunk. When she brought it to the front and paid, she only had a couple of dollars left in change when she saw a beautiful black sketchbook sitting right by the front wall.</p><p>“How much for that?” She asked, gesturing to the book.</p><p>“Five fifty,” he says.</p><p>Luz counts her change and sighs, crestfallen. With her Mami’s change and the change left from the candy store, she’s only got four fifty left.</p><p>“This sucks,” she mumbles, taking her new purchases from the camper, preparing to just leave the store. “I only have four fifty left.”</p><p>Then the strangest thing happens. The cashier straightens up, and his eyes get misty like he’s forgotten where he is. He looks at the sketchbook then at her.</p><p>“Four fifty’s fine.”</p><p>Luz blinks in confusion, but then she grins in excitement, handing him the change. “Really? Thank you so much!”</p><p>He shrugs his shoulders, “It’s no problem at all. Have a nice day.”</p><p>Luz takes the sketchbook and puts it in the bag with the rest of her items, ecstatic. She couldn’t believe how nice that camper was.</p><p>She takes her new stuff back to the Hermes cabin, changing into a new orange shirt and shorts. She packs the rest of her stuff on her side of the chest, including her new sketchbook, and then leaves the cabin to go meet Willow and Gus.</p><p>She finds them waiting right where they said they’d be, around the back of Cabin Six. They’re standing next to a decent sized metal shed that extends past the cabin, and they both smile as she approaches them.</p><p>“Hey Luz, nice clothes,” Willow says approvingly.</p><p>“Thanks, I was really dreading wearing the same stuff over and over,” Luz admits sheepishly.</p><p>“Well, now it’s time for the best part of it all! Picking out your weapon,” Gus cheers, gesturing behind him to the shed. “You can find a weapon you like in lots of places… if you want something newly made Cabin Nine is the place to go, but Cabin Six collects a lot of classics, so we have a pretty good selection too. Our goal is to match the right hero with the right weapon. My siblings said you can help yourself if you find anything cool.”</p><p>“Awesome!” Luz says in excitement, pumping her fist in the air. She had to admit, lots of stuff about being a half-blood was cool, but the idea of getting her own weapon like what Eda or Lilith had? That had been what Luz was the most excited for.</p><p>The trio starts digging around the shed, looking for something that suits Luz. She struggles to find something right… there’s a huge sword she can barely lift, then one that’s so small she has no control over her swing. She even holds a Mossberg shotgun in her hands that shoot celestial bronze. While she agrees with Gus that it’s cool, it’s really not her style.</p><p>Then she’s digging underneath a pile of bronze swords when she stumbles across an ancient-looking bronze ring, shimmering on the floor of the shed. Luz blinks at it curiously, before she scoops it up and slides it over her ring finger on her right hand, almost like instinct. She peers at it and realizes the shape of it reminds her of her Mami’s college ring from when she studied medical science. Using the edge of her shirt, she does her best to buff it up.</p><p>“What’s this?” She asks her new friends, but before they can respond she touches it and screeches, stumbling backward. The ring had transformed into a two-foot bronze <em>xiphos</em> that Luz had to catch in her hand. She gaped at it in awe and turned it, examining the blaze and realizing the balance was perfect.</p><p>Willow and Gus glanced at one another awkwardly, before Gus crossed his arms nervously. “I don’t know if you want that one Luz…”</p><p>Luz blinked at him. “Why not?”</p><p>“That was Peleus’ weapon,” Willow said slowly, and Luz’s mouth dropped open again.</p><p>“Peleus? Wasn’t he the father of like… Hercules or something?”</p><p>“Achilles,” Gus corrected quickly.</p><p>“Then what’s it doing in the Athena cabin’s shed!” She exclaimed, holding it out as if it might break at any second. The sword shrunk back to a ring in an instant, sitting comfortably on Luz’s hand. “Shouldn’t it be in like… a museum or something?”</p><p>“Celestial bronze weapons are meant to be used by demigods,” Gus said with a shrug. “Not be kept in a museum.”</p><p>“So why shouldn’t I want it?” Luz asked, now more confused than before. Gus put up his hands like he didn’t want to have this conversation. Willow sighed, taking over for him.</p><p>“The ring was enchanted by Hermes for Peleus to use. But after he died a lot of half-bloods have come to the conclusion that it’s cursed. They’ve tried to use it and found that it brought them bad luck.”</p><p>“He called the sword <em>Aletheia</em>, which means “disclosure” or “truth” in Ancient Greek,” Gus added helpfully, and Luz hummed, looking down at the ring thoughtfully.</p><p>“I want this one,” Luz said certainly, and Willow and Gus shared another look but shrugged, not going to warn her off any further.</p><p>“Alright then, the half-blood always knows best,” Willow just said.</p><p>“Plus it’s a super cool sword,” Gus said enthusiastically. Luz met his smile with an excited grin of her own, touching the ring to get it to transform again. This time, instead of a sword, <em>Aletheia</em> turned into a bronze knife, about half a foot long. The leather hilt of this blade matched the one of the sword, and Luz’s first thought was to panic.</p><p>“I broke it!” She exclaimed in terror, and Gus snorted, doubling over with laughter. Willow blinked in surprise and leaned in for a closer look.</p><p>“I’d heard the legend that Peleus also had a knife, but I didn’t think <em>Aletheia</em> could shift twice,” she said with interest. “Is the shifting random?”</p><p>Luz tried shifting the weapon multiple times. Eventually, they determined there was no pattern, and the choice was in fact random. Willow disagreed with her, but Luz had a feeling that it favored the sword and shifted into that more often.</p><p>“Isn't it s<em>o cool?</em>” Gus exclaimed, and Luz couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. He was right, it really was a cool weapon.</p><p>Luz thanked Gus and asked him to thank his siblings as well for letting her browse through the shed, which he promised he would do. Then the three of them had to head back to their activities for the day, so Luz waved goodbye and went to go look for the rest of the Hermes cabin.</p><p>She had her first run on the lava rock wall with the Ares cabin, and Luz barely managed to scrape her way to the top without getting burned. As she climbed down and Viney offered her some water, she couldn’t help but express her annoyance with her performance.</p><p>“Curse my weak little nerd arms,” she huffed, and Viney smiled sympathetically. Behind Luz, she heard a scoff, and she turned to look in the direction of the noise.</p><p>“I was surprised you even made it to the top at all, you were so slow I thought the lava was going to swallow you up.”</p><p>It was a girl she had never seen before from the Ares cabin, with pink hair and a sneer that was so cold it could knock Luz flat. A couple of her siblings stood next to her, eyeing Luz like she was fresh meat.</p><p>Luz narrowed her eyes. She knew she wasn’t supposed to pick fights anymore, her Mami had asked her not to, but she was at camp now. She had every right to be there just like them.</p><p>“Don’t talk to me like that.” Luz retorted, and she noticed some of the other Hermes cabin kids eyeing Luz nervously.</p><p>Viney, thankfully, stood up and tossed her an equally annoyed look. “Just walk away, Boscha. We don’t need this right now.”</p><p>The girl, Boscha, narrowed her gaze. “Why are you defending her? Your fresh meat over here hasn’t even been claimed yet. It’s obvious enough, even the gods don’t want her.”</p><p>Luz felt that in her core, but she swallowed hard, willing away her insecurity. Her dad would come through soon, the gods had promised to claim all their children by the time they were thirteen. She had to believe it would happen at any minute.</p><p>“<em>We</em> want her,” Viney argued with a low growl, and Luz felt affection for Viney spring up in her chest.</p><p>But Boscha wasn’t interested in being nice. “Why? She can’t even climb a rock wall, never mind do anything useful.”</p><p>“I’ll show you useful.” Luz finally snapped, stepping forward to run at Boscha, only to be stopped by Viney holding out an arm.</p><p>“She’s not worth it, Luz,” Viney said with a whisper, and Luz felt her face get red with embarrassment when Boscha laughed.</p><p>“See? You don’t even think she’s good enough to fight me.” Boscha stepped closer and bared her teeth at Luz, who returned it with a furious expression. “You and I are on opposite teams tomorrow for Capture the Flag. I can’t wait until we destroy you.”</p><p>She and her siblings stalked off, and Luz grit her teeth in frustration. “Why do I keep making enemies?”</p><p>Viney shrugged, keeping her green eyes locked on the back of Boscha’s head. “She’s one of Amity’s friends. If Amity didn’t like you, neither will Boscha. I already guessed that the Ares cabin would be on Aphrodite’s team tomorrow, but I guess now it’s a done deal.”</p><p>Jerbo, who had been climbing the rock wall and only heard the end of the conversation with Boscha, wiped his face with a towel. “So who do we have on our side?”</p><p>“Athena, Demeter, Hecate, Nemesis, Tyche, and Hebe so far.” Viney mused, starting to look nervous. “We have numbers on our side, but I’m hoping to get Nike to side with us too. They always have a habit of joining the winning team…”</p><p>“We’re totally going to win!” Luz said determinedly, “I won’t let Amity and Boscha’s team win if I have anything to say about it.”</p><p>Viney and Jerbo shared a look, and then Jerbo shrugged. “If you say so. But they’re going to be one tough combo to beat.”</p><p>“Athena’s cabin promised me a good strategy,” Viney added with a smile. “If we pair that with Luz’s confidence, I’m sure we’ll do great!”</p><p>Luz was now more determined than ever to get better at her combat skills. She knew campers would think she was an easy target since she was new, so on their next break before dinner, Luz went alone to the arena to practice.</p><p>When she got there, she was surprised to see Eda and King together in the arena. Eda was slashing through some of the practice dummies with her spear, and King was taking a nap on the grass a few feet away.</p><p>After ripping the stuffing out of the chest of a dummy, Eda caught sight of Luz. “Oh, hey kid. What are you doing here?”</p><p>Luz rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Capture the flag is tomorrow, and I don’t want to let my team down. I need to learn how to use this sword.”</p><p>Eda’s brow furrowed, and she looked at Luz like she had two heads. “Kid… you don’t have a sword with you.”</p><p>Luz reached over and touched her ring, and showed Eda <em>Aletheia</em>. Thankfully this time it was a sword and not a knife. Eda looked at it and nodded interestedly, before turning back to the dummy.</p><p>“Alright then, I’ll teach you.”</p><p>Luz’s eyes widened. “Wait, seriously?”</p><p>“Well sure, kid. I am one of the Camp Directors. It’s my job to make sure you’re in tip-top fighting shape.” Eda spun her spear like a baton, and Luz expected it to transform back into Owlbert, but instead, Eda was holding a three-foot bronze <em>falcata</em>. Luz blanched, and Eda just grinned crookedly, showing off that gold fang again.</p><p>“Why are you so shocked? You’re not the only one with a transforming weapon, kid. You’ve seen my spear before.”</p><p>“It’s just <em>so cool</em>,” Luz said in awe, and she blinked when she realized she was now sounding just like Gus. Eda cackled at her expression, stepping closer to start the lesson. She showed Luz the proper way to stand with a sword and explained the mechanics of how to move your body with the sword, rather than have the sword move for you.</p><p>“A hero's best tactic is their adaptability,” Eda explained, pushing her hands against Luz’s shoulder to adjust her stance. “Anyone can swing a sword, but real heroes? They use it as an extension of themselves rather than a tool to make ends meet.”</p><p>Luz nodded furiously, already picking up so much more than she had in the arena earlier. Not only was the weapon in her hand now balanced, but Eda was a much more unconventional teacher than Viney. Eda’s unique teachings were helping Luz think creatively with her sword when she was swinging.</p><p>After a couple of practice rounds against Eda, (“remember that when fighting an opponent with a longer blade, you need to move inside their own strikes”) she spun Owlbert again to change it back into a spear. Luz began to get a feel for engaging with different kinds of weapons, and soon King had even woken up from his nap to come over and watch, offering sarcastic criticism or yells of encouragement every once in a while. Eda then switched back to her sword, and Luz did much better this time, even managing to disarm Eda once or twice. Each time she did it, Eda would push Luz a little harder, making it more challenging to knock the blade out of her hand.</p><p>Luz hadn’t even realized how much time flew until both Eda and Luz were drenched with sweat, completely out of breath.</p><p>“Well kid,” Eda said inhaling for air. She spun her sword and it shifted back into Owlbert, who cooed and perched on Eda’s shoulder. “I think that’s the best you’re going to get before tomorrow. You’ve made some really great progress. I’m actually kind of impressed.”</p><p>“I feel ready,” Luz said with a grin, touching <em>Aletheia</em> to turn it back to a ring. “Thank you so much, Eda.”</p><p>“Don’t thank me,” she said with a thumbs up. “This was fun!”</p><p>Luz heard the pair of footsteps from behind her before she heard the voices.</p><p>“Oh, have you decided to help train Luz, Edalyn? That’s very out of character for you.”</p><p>Luz saw Eda’s sour expression before she turned around, seeing Lilith walking towards them in tow by Amity, who made a point to glare at Luz and look away, crossing her arms.</p><p>Luz didn’t understand what she did to have Amity hate her so much, but before she could think about it any further, Eda tossed an arm around Luz’s shoulders and squeezed until the air was knocked out of her, all while smiling smugly. “I sure have, Lily! Luz here is a natural, she’s going to do great tomorrow.”</p><p>Lilith hummed, tilting her head humorously. “I’m so glad to hear that Luz is picking up sword fighting skills so quickly! Maybe one day she’ll even be good enough to Amity.”</p><p>Luz felt a competitive bubble begin to rise up in her chest and she squared her shoulders challengingly, but Eda beat her to it.</p><p>“Oh yeah? What makes you think my student can’t beat your student?” She retorted, and Lilith laughed.</p><p>“You mean besides the fact that you’ve been training for all of one day?” She shot back breezily, and Eda scoffed.</p><p>“Who cares? Time has nothing to do with it.”</p><p>Lilith raised a brow in disbelief. Turning to Amity, who had been standing there quietly, she gestured over to one of the training dummies.</p><p>“Would you mind giving a demonstration, Amity?”</p><p>Amity looked over at Luz and smiled, but there was nothing nice about the gesture.</p><p>“With pleasure, Lilith,” Amity said, drawing a polished short sword (a <em>xiphos</em>, like Luz’s) from her belt. It was two feet long, like Luz’s, and studded with what looked like small amethysts on the hilt. Luz blinked, it was the prettiest weapon she had seen so far.</p><p>Amity moved like a storm, slashing and hacking the dummy to pieces using moves that Luz could only dream of learning. Within seconds, the dummy was completely destroyed, pierced in multiple places, and totally decapitated. She finally sheathed her sword and walked back to stand next to Lilith completely unphased.</p><p>Eda huffed, crossing her arms. “So you’re girl has some moves. That doesn’t mean she’s going to win tomorrow. Unless she plans on taking out a whole army of campers all at once.”</p><p>“I plan on it,” Amity said without hesitation, staring Luz right in the eye as she said it. Luz gulped, now nervous again. She swallowed her anxiety, trying not to give Amity anything more than she deserved.</p><p>“Well I’ll see you on the field then,” she said, trying to sound confident, but the crack in her voice gave everything away.</p><p>“I’ll see you there,” Amity promised. She wanted to keep arguing, to say something to wipe that rude smile off her face, but before she could muster up the courage Eda had her hand on her shoulder dragging her out of the arena with King on their heels.</p><p>As they left, Eda was grumbling angrily under her breath. “Stupid Lily, always thinking she can get the better of me.. well she’ll see tomorrow…”</p><p>King was huffing at their heels, “That green-haired girl has a serious attitude problem. I don’t like it.”</p><p>When they were out of eyesight from the arena, Eda reached into the pocket of her cloak and began rummaging around. “I’ve got something here that’ll do the trick… ah! Here it is.”</p><p>Eda pulled out a bronze device and gestured for Luz to hold out her hand. She wrapped the thing leather strap around her left hand, so the tiny device was pressed into the middle of her palm.</p><p>“Eda? What’s this?” Luz asked, reaching over with her other hand to touch it. Eda slapped her hand away quickly, and Luz recoiled.</p><p>“Ow!” She exclaimed, and Eda chuckled apologetically.</p><p>“Sorry. You just probably shouldn’t touch that. This is a nifty little device I had Cabin Nine make for me a long time ago. If you meet Amity in the forest tomorrow, just touch her skin under her armor with this, and she’ll be immobilized long enough for you to take her down.”</p><p>“Take her down?” Luz recoiled, eyes wide at what Eda was saying. “I don’t like Amity, but I’m not going to kill her!”</p><p>Eda laughed, patting Luz’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean that. But if you point your sword under her throat and stop her from attacking you, she’s out. Just do that.”</p><p>Luz glanced at the little item in her palm anxiously. It looked a lot like a hand buzzer that a prank shop would sell. Luz hadn’t been a half-blood for long, but she had figured out that everything here was a lot more hardcore than she initially expected.</p><p>“Eda, this won’t like… seriously hurt her right?”</p><p>“It won’t kill her,” Eda said with a shrug. “But I never said it wouldn’t hurt. It’s got enough of a current to bring a Cyclops to their knees. Don’t ask how I know that.”</p><p>Luz didn’t like the sound of that at all, but Eda had been pretty helpful so far so she wasn’t going to refuse a gift like this. But there was another worry nagging at the back of her mind.</p><p>“Isn’t this kind of cheating?”</p><p>“Nah,” Eda said with a wave of a hand. “It’s capture the flag. All magic items are allowed. The other team will be using stronger tricks than this to win the game. You've got to get on their level to win.”</p><p>“There’s nothing like a nasty trick to subdue your enemies!” King chimed in with glee.</p><p>Luz still wasn’t sure about this, but Eda was giving her this encouraging look that she couldn’t ignore. So she braved a smile, mustering all the certainty she could. “Well, alright then. I’ve got nothing to lose, right?”</p><p>“That’s the spirit, kid!” Eda cheered, clapping her again on the shoulder. “Now, you better head back to your cabin before dinner. If this is going to work, and Lily’s team is going to go down big time, I need to talk to Cabin Twenty about some of their magic glitter bombs…”</p><p>Eda and King headed off towards the minor god’s ring of cabins, and Luz sighed. She wondered if all she'd managed to do today was squeeze herself into more trouble than she was already in.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>follow me on tumblr @thegoodgayshit :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. My Shocking First Game of Capture the Flag</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>To all my American readers, how you guys doing? I wish you all the best with everything happening right now and hope this chapter helps get your head in a fantasy world for a bit.</p><p>To everyone else, I hope you enjoy the chapter! This was my favourite one to write so far.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cabin Eleven was the quietest she had ever seen it the next morning. They still had time before the game started at noon, but the Hermes kids seemed to be sucked deep into concentration, which was so unlike them Luz didn’t know what to make of it.</p><p>Viney was muttering strategy to herself all morning, then was stuck deep into conversation with the counselors of the Athena cabin and the Hecate cabin. Luz figured it was a good idea to stay out of it and not stress out Viney more than she already was, so she took a walk to go find Willow and Gus.</p><p>Despite her overall nervousness for the game, she was also excited to be on the same team as Willow and Gus. The three had decided they would play together, and take on whatever role their counselors gave them as a unit. They practiced together in the morning and helped one another put on their armor. They had each been given a bronze chest plate and a helmet with a blue horse plume. It weighed on Luz like a pound of bricks, and after practicing stabbing with the knife form of <em>Aletheia</em> for a few minutes, her muscles already felt exhausted.</p><p>Willow realized she’d forgotten her sword on her bunkbed, so she went back to her cabin to get it while Gus and Luz sat on the grass. He showed Luz his spear, which extended from half a foot long to seven feet when he swung. Luz joked that it reminded her of those toy lightsabers she had seen in Walmart with her Mami. Gus grinned at the joke, launching into a story of getting one of those from his dad for Christmas a few years ago and breaking a vase with it. The two compared some Greek stories Luz had heard before. He would pipe in now and again when she talked, telling her the truth rather than what the original story said had happened.</p><p>“So Perseus saved the princess and killed Medusa-“</p><p>“Well, some myths question Medusa’s intention. She was kind of… Poseidon’s girlfriend. A lot of demigod scholars think she just wanted to be left alone,” Gus adds, and Luz hums thoughtfully.</p><p>“I’ve never thought of it like that,” she says with a frown.</p><p>Willow walks back over to them with the sword Luz had seen when she first got showed around camp. Now that she gets a closer look at it, she realizes why Willow can’t just grab a different one from the armory. She realized it was a lot shorter than her own blade, and most of the others she had seen. It was a bronze Spartan <em>kopis</em>, about a foot and a half long. Waving to her as she approached, Willow’s eyes locked in on the leather strap around her hand.</p><p>“What’s that on your hand, Luz?”</p><p>Remembering her dilemma from the day before, Luz explained everything that had happened yesterday with Lilith and Amity and the magic hand buzzer.</p><p>Willow frowned, “that doesn’t sound good. Amity is a mean girl, but she’s also the best in combat, better than anybody else at camp. Even some of the Ares campers don’t hold weight to her.”</p><p>“But this is so cool!” Gus said enthusiastically at the buzzer, holding out his wrist. “Can you shock me?”</p><p>Willow slapped his hand away. “For someone in Cabin Six, you really have no brain cells.”</p><p>Luz laughed, breaking some of the tension. But she worried her lip at Willow’s words. “After I saw her tear apart that dummy I knew I was done for. If Amity meets me on the field like she promised I’m going to be slashed to pieces.”</p><p>“Well, she’s not allowed to kill you even if she wanted to,” Gus said offhandedly, still looking at the hand buzzer. “But this could definitely make your job easier.” He reached over to touch it again and Luz pulled it away quickly.</p><p>“I know Eda gave it to me, but I don’t want to use it unless I have to.” Luz murmured, still uncomfortable. “I don’t know what’ll happen to Amity, and Eda seemed to be sugarcoating it.”</p><p>“Eda would never give something to you that would seriously hurt another camper,” Willow promised, reaching over to pat Luz’s shoulder. “At most, it’ll probably give you an advantage since she has it out for you so badly.”</p><p>Gus blinked as if an idea had struck him, but before they could question it any further, Viney was making her way over to them and telling them to head over to the forest entrance. Willow and Luz started walking, but when they realized Gus was standing there still deep in thought they hesitated.</p><p>“Go ahead, I’ll meet you there,” he said with a smile. “I just need to talk to Viney for a second.”</p><p>Willow and Luz shared a look before shrugging. “Alright, well see you there,” Willow said with a smile.</p><p>By the edge of the forest, the campers had been divided into red and blue teams. Eda had announced at dinner last night the finalized divide between the different cabins. The Hermes cabin would be the blue team, hence the blue horse plume helmet, and they would be joined by Athena, Demeter, Hecate, Nemesis, Tyche, Hebe, Dionysus, and Iris. That left Aphrodite’s cabin, the red team, with Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus, Nike, and Hypnos. Luz could tell by the gathering crowds that they had numbers on their side, but Luz was pretty certain the red team had some of the camp's best fighters. Some of the Ares kids and Nike kids looked like they would be a force to be reckoned with.</p><p>Willow was shuffling through some of the weapons and other items that campers were allowed to take from. She turned around and offered Luz a bronze shield.</p><p>“Do you want it?”</p><p>Luz looked at it uncertainly. “I’ve never practiced with one. I don’t know how to use it.”</p><p>Willow nodded, tucking it over her own arm instead. “It’s smart to stick with what you know. I’m not a shield person either. I’ll give it to Gus when he gets here.”</p><p>As they waited with the other members of the blue team, Luz started fidgeting. She was getting really anxious about this whole game now. Her armor was feeling heavier and heavier, and she struggled not to let her head tilt to one side under her helmet. She ran her hands up and down her arms nervously when she saw Boscha and Amity standing together on the red team's side. Amity was already in her armor with her sword in its hilt at her side, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, looking bored, but Boscha was busy polishing a wicked-looking four-foot bronze <em>falcata</em>. She caught Luz staring and paused, shooting her an evil looking grin from under her red plume helmet. Luz swallowed thickly.</p><p>“Luz, are you okay? You look kind of pale.”</p><p>She turned her head quickly to give Willow an encouraging smile. “I’m fine. Just pre-game nerves.”</p><p>Willow gave Luz a look and she knew she wasn’t buying it. Peering over Luz’s shoulder at what she was staring at, Willow makes a noise of understanding.</p><p>“Don’t worry about them, Luz,” Willow said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Gus and I will be with you the whole time in case they try and team up on you. We’ll do this together.”</p><p>Luz did her best to smile confidently, even if her stomach was flipping. In truth, that did make her feel a lot better. She had been happier at camp with Willow and Gus than she’d ever had back in Manhattan, or Amherst, or Syracuse, or anywhere else she’d lived before. With them helping her, she was sure everything would be just fine.</p><p>Finally, Viney, Gus, and the other councilors from the blue team made their way to the blue side, ready to assign positions. Gus trotted up to them with an excited smile, and Luz had a feeling whatever he’d wanted to talk to Viney about was all sorted. As he approached them in his armor (that was still way too big) and his spear in hand, Willow pulled the three of them together and out of earshot from the others. Willow handed Gus the shield, which he took gratefully.</p><p>“What did you want to talk to Viney about?” She asked him, and Gus looked around nervously before shaking his head.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it. It won’t matter anyway if everything goes according to plan.”</p><p>Luz’s curiosity got the better of her and she cooed in excitement tapping her fingers together. “Ouuu… a mystery.”</p><p>Willow narrowed her eyes, clearly not in the mood for secrets. “Gus…”</p><p>“Viney asked me not to tell,” he pleaded, and Willow sighed at his expression before crossing her arms.</p><p>“Fine.”</p><p>Willow was clearly still grumpy about Gus keeping a secret, but Luz was too busy watching Viney walk around to the other Hermes campers and assigning them their position. By the time she approached Luz, she was practically vibrating from nervousness.</p><p>Viney patted Luz on the shoulder. “How are you feeling, newbie?”</p><p>Luz decided on being honest. “I’ve been better.”</p><p>Thankfully Viney just chuckled, gesturing Willow and Gus closer. “I’m positioning you three as the second set of defense on the other side of the creek. Watch for anybody crossing that might be coming from Zeus’ Fist. Gus, you have the traps?”</p><p>Gus grinned and gestured to the little pouches strapped to his armor. “Yep.”</p><p>Viney nodded turning back to Willow and Luz. “Willow, see if you can barricade the forest walls. Luz, be ready for a forward assault. Gus has the flare if you need backup.”</p><p>Luz didn’t understand any of that, but she wasn’t going to ask questions right now when Willow and Gus were nodding in serious understanding. So she just nodded along with them. Viney seemed to sense her hesitancy, and she pushed her affectionately with her fist.</p><p>“Try not to worry. We’ve got this.”</p><p>She said it with such certainty, it seemed to fill Luz with a confidence she didn’t know she had. Even Willow and Gus straightened. As she walked away, Willow exhaled with a smile.</p><p>“Those Hermes pep talks always work.”</p><p>Luz blinked at her. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“Hermes is the god of merchants, thieves, and travelers, but also the god of orators. His kids can sometimes give speeches that feel magical. That’s why Viney is their counselor, she has that gift.” Gus said with a grin, and Luz noticed just how drastically Viney’s speech had changed them. He was standing so straight that his armor almost looked like it fit him. His spear didn’t seem too clunky in his hand. Willow’s expression looked like it had hardened in preparation for the game, and even Luz’s anxiety seemed to have been replaced with solid determination.  </p><p>“That’s so cool,” Luz grinned in enthusiasm. She wondered if her dad had passed along any magical abilities like that to her. So far, she was just regular Luz.</p><p>Before she knew it, everybody on her team had been given their role. A horn blew in the distance, and Luz turned towards the entrance of the forest to see Eda and Lilith standing there with King at their feet. Eda had blown the horn and was watching the gathering campers with a grin on her face.</p><p>“Welcome to our weekly game of Capture the Flag!” She said, holding up her fist, and the campers erupted into cheering. Lilith rolled her eyes from next to her sister, and Luz wondered if they’d fought at all since the incident at the arena yesterday.</p><p>“You all know the rules!” Lilith said, loud enough for all the campers to hear and quiet down. That was an exaggeration. Luz certainly didn’t know the rules, so she peered closer to absorb every word. “The creek is the boundary line. The whole forest is fair game. The flag must be prominently displayed with no more than two guards. Guards must stand at least ten yards from the flag. Prisoners may be disarmed, but not bound or gagged. All magic items are allowed. Eda and I will be acting as in-game referees! There is to be absolutely <em>no</em> killing or maiming. Am I understood?”</p><p>There was a chorus of muffled agreement, though Luz snickered as she watched Eda roll her eyes at the long list of rules.</p><p>“Alright heroes! The game will now begin!” Eda called, blowing her horn again, causing Lilith to wince at the sound. There was a chorus of cheering as both teams began to flood into the woods, and Luz followed Willow and Gus quickly, not wanting to get lost.</p><p>As the teams approached the creek, the blue side cut north while the red headed south. Willow dragged Luz about half a mile past the creek with Gus on her heels, and the three of them ended up in a small clearing surrounded by wild plants.</p><p>“This is where Viney wants us to patrol,” she said, reaching down and drawing her sword from her belt. “I’ll work some magic on these plants and make a barricade. Luz, help Gus with the traps.”</p><p>Luz nodded, turning to help Gus unpack the small objects he had concealed in pouches on his belt. He handed one to her, and when she scooped it up rather ungracefully, he hissed in alarm.</p><p>“Be careful! These are sticky bombs I got from the Hecate campers. Too much motion will cause them to explode.”</p><p>“Oh shoot, sorry.”</p><p>Luz was considerably more careful after that. She was helping Gus stick one in the undergrowth when she glanced over in the direction of the creek where Willow was working. What she saw made her mouth drop. Willow was moving her sword and the thorny underbrush seemed to move with her. It climbed and weaved around itself, creating a barricade to their side of the creek at least a hundred feet wide. No camper on the red team was running through that.  </p><p>“How is she doing that?” Luz gasped in wonder. “It that a Demeter kid thing?”</p><p>Gus looked over at Luz, a little uncomfortably. “Yes, and no. Demeter kids do have a lot of sway with plants and wild magic… but a lot of Willow’s abilities are just a Willow thing.”</p><p>Luz remembered the conversation she’d had with them when they were giving Luz the tour of camp. She wondered if this Willow magic was a part of that “technicality” Gus had mentioned.</p><p>“Well she is one powerful demigod,” Luz decided with finality.</p><p>Gus nodded in agreement. After a couple more minutes, the traps had all been set, and somewhere in the distance, Luz could hear Eda’s horn sound.</p><p>“The game’s started,” Willow said seriously, tightening her grip on her <em>kopis</em>. Gus straightens up and pulls his shield to his chest, gripping his spear so tightly his knuckles turn white.</p><p>Luz suddenly felt very empty-handed, and touched her hand to her ring, calling out <em>Alethia</em>. She gripped the leather hilt of the sword tightly, with not a moment to spare. Just as the games started, she heard yelling from the other side of the barricades as a handful of campers started slashing through the thorns to get through.</p><p>“Get ready!” Willow yelled just as they slashed through the last of the thorns and tumbled through the fresh opening. There were four enemy campers, and Luz’s heartbeat spiked at being outnumbered. Thankfully, Willow flicked her sword so roots and thorns wrapped around their ankle, tripping them to the ground. She met the next campers' sword with her own, and Gus raced forward to slam his shield against a camper wielding a spear like him.</p><p>Luz raised her sword out of instinct, and at just the right time. The sword of the last camper collided with hers immediately, and she grunted with effort to push it away. Swinging at them, the camper deflected, so Luz tried that new trick she’d learned from Eda last night and pushed forward, feeling satisfied when they stumbled backward, crying out in shock.</p><p>They looked up at her and Luz had a moment of panic when her eyes met gold ones. She thought for a second it might be Amity, but then she was hit with a wave of recognition. It was one of the twins who had been teasing Amity at the Aphrodite table her first night.</p><p>The girl seemed to recognize her too as she regained her balance and gripped her sword tightly. She gave Luz a crooked smile that Luz knew right away was trouble. “Oh, no way! You’re that new girl who keeps getting under Mitten’s skin.” Then she completely turned away from Luz to look at the camper who’d been tripped by Willow’s plant magic.</p><p>“Edric! Check it out, it’s the new girl,” she said gleefully. The camper on the floor had managed to get to their knees and cut the thorns with their sword. Luz recognized him as the other green haired twin. He stood up and brushed the dirt marks from his armor with his free hand, his mouth split into an eager grin at his twins' words.</p><p>“Seriously? What kind of awesome timing is that?” He said excitedly as Willow, Gus, and the two other red campers battled around them.  </p><p>“What’s happening right now?” Luz said in confusion, lowering her sword. “Are we not fighting anymore?”</p><p>“What, us? Fight you?” The girl said, turning back to Luz. “Why would we do that when you’ve thrown our sister off her game for us?”</p><p>Luz realized they must be talking about Amity, and she didn’t really know how to react to this news. She felt her cheeks heat up awkwardly. “Well, it’s not like I’m trying to do that on purpose!”</p><p>“Same difference,” the boy said, waving his own sword lazily. “Emira and I have been trying to knock her down a couple of pegs all year. Your challenge at the arena last night really messed with her head.”</p><p>Now Luz was really confused. She found herself just opening and closing her mouth like a fish.</p><p>Around them, Willow had finally managed to disarm the other camper she’d been fighting, and Gus had knocked off the shield of his. Edric and Emira glanced at this, then at Luz, and they both split into a smile.</p><p>“What did you say your name was?” Emira asked, and Luz finally had an answer to their questions.</p><p>“Luz Noceda.”</p><p>“Well Luz, we have to bounce,” Edric said with a charming smile. “But hopefully we’ll talk soon.”</p><p>“See you around, cutie,” Emira added with a wink.</p><p>Luz felt her cheeks warm uncontrollably as the two older campers turned heel and darted off through the forest, somehow managing to weave around Gus’ traps. As they vanished, Luz realized with a jolt of shock that she’d been played, and the twins had just broken through to her team's side of the forest.</p><p>While she stood there feeling like an idiot, the other two campers had been fended off by Willow and Gus, sprinting back through the entrance they’d carved to get it.</p><p>“Luz!” Willow exclaimed, running up to her. She looked winded but unharmed. “What happened? How’d they get through?”</p><p>Gus made his way over too, but he looked a little worse for wear. A spot near his eyebrow was turning red like he’d been smacked by the other campers' shield. “I turned around and it was two against one! Are you okay?”</p><p>“They played me!” Luz said angrily, gesturing with her sword to where the twins had vanished. “They kept me talking and then escaped around the traps.”</p><p>Willow and Gus winced.</p><p>“Yeah, we should have warned you about the Blight twins,” Willow said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Their mom is Aphrodite, so they really have a way with words. Unlike Amity, they can be super charming, but they’re also troublemakers.”</p><p>Gus nodded slowly. “They could have been Hermes kids with some of the pranks they pull around camp.”</p><p>Luz was still frustrated that they’d escaped, but there was nothing she could really do. At least Willow and Gus had fended off the other two. Willow turned back to reseal the wall of thorns that had been hacked through, while Luz and Gus checked the traps. Gus said the twins hadn’t activated them, like Luz had thought, but agreed that it was weird they knew the traps were there.</p><p>The three had heard a large banging sound in the forest on their side of the forest, as well as some shouts. But they didn’t see one of the Hecate cabins magic flares, so instead of running in that direction, they patrolled their side of the creek carefully, watching for any red campers racing back with the flag.</p><p>Just as Luz started to relax, thinking that maybe most of the fight was on the other side of the creek, she heard the sound of footsteps, and a loud voice yelling “there she is!”</p><p>Both Luz, Willow, and Gus spun around at the sound, standing shoulder to shoulders with their weapons raised. Three campers came to a running stop a few feet away from them. Boscha was on the left, swinging her sword experimentally in her hand with a downright sadistic grin. On the right was a girl with dyed silver hair and grey eyes, a bow in her hand notched with an arrow pointed right at her. Luz recognized her as one of the campers from Apollo’s cabin.</p><p>Then there was Amity standing in the middle with her <em>xiphos</em> already drawn, eyeing Luz with the same glint in her eye that she’d had in the arena right before her demonstration. Luz clenched <em>Aletheia</em> tightly in her hands, and felt Willow and Gus tense, offering whatever nonverbal encouragement they could.</p><p>Boscha had been the one to speak, and she glanced quickly at Willow and Gus, sizing them up before breaking into a laugh. “So these are the friends you’ve decided to make? The dork and half a half-blood Willow?”</p><p>She heard Gus and Willow cry out at the insults next to her, and Luz felt anger bubble up in her stomach.</p><p>“Leave her alone,” Amity said dryly, and Luz turned to her in surprise. It faded to annoyance when she just lifted her sword and ran her finger along the side of the blade. “It’s not her fault she was born without talent.”</p><p>Willow flinched like she’d been slapped, and Luz took a protective step in front of her. While she had been afraid of facing Amity and Boscha before, now all she felt was determination. She had to be the Azura of Capture the Flag, and face down her new rival and defend her friends, who had already done so much for her.</p><p>“I’ll tell you what Amity,” she said angrily, pointing an accusing finger at her. “It’s one thing for Lilith to say I can’t beat you in a fight-</p><p>“Uh, because you can’t,” Amity interrupted with a scowl.</p><p>Luz didn’t humor her, and just kept talking like she hadn’t said anything,“-but it’s another thing to bully my friends.” She lifted <em>Aletheia</em> and pointed it at her menacingly. “So I challenge you!”</p><p>Amity stepped forward slowly, unwavering at the sight of Luz’s blade. Her face split into a grin, and she raised her own sword.</p><p>“I accept.”</p><p>The clearing split into movement. Skara released her arrow and let it fly right at Luz’s chest, and thank the gods Gus was paying attention because he threw out his shield and it bounced off with a clatter. Charging with his spear at Skara, she was forced to pull out her knife and face him.</p><p>Willow on the other hand was forced to face Boscha in a head-on assault. She charged at her and their swords clashed ringing across the clearing. Luz desperately wanted to turn and defend her friend, but she had her own problems.</p><p>Amity swung her sword, and out of pure reflex Luz was able to deflect it, but Amity was not going easy on her. She swung, and parried, and swung again, and Luz had to get creative in her dodging and rolling, but she was quickly getting outmatched. After one swing, Luz barely managed to leap out of the way, but the tip of Amity’s <em>xiphos </em>slid across her bicep. She winced at the sting, knowing without looking it drew blood.</p><p>Amity glared at Luz furiously, swinging again. Luz clashed her sword against her, and the two began to push against the other. Desperate to figure out how to get some kind of edge, Luz struggled to hold her own turning to Amity with wide eyes.</p><p>“Why are you being so mean, Amity?”</p><p>Amity grit her teeth, “because you and your friends are giving half-blood’s everywhere a bad name.” She jerked herself forward, and Luz lost her balance and stumbled back. Luz watched a flicker of satisfaction flash across her face before she stepped forward again. “So show me what you’ve got, newbie.”</p><p>Luz started to panic, knowing that this was likely not going to go well for her. “I’m not good under pressure!”</p><p>Amity lunged, and Luz managed to flick away the blade with her own. She ducked under her blade the next time she swung and heard the sound of horse plume hitting the grass behind her. Putting a few feet of distance between her and Amity, despair washed over her as she scanned her surroundings. Gus had his back to a tree, deflecting arrows from Skara who had somehow been able to put more distance between them. Willow and Boscha were still clashing, but Luz knew Willow was getting tired whereas Boscha seemed to just be getting angrier and angrier. There was no way they were going to win this fight.</p><p>But she had to try. Luz had gotten her friends into this mess, and she needed to do everything she could to get them out of it.</p><p>“Come on guys!” She called to them desperately, and Gus and Willow both turned to look at Luz. “I may not know much about this half-blood stuff, but I know how this is supposed to go. We’re a ragtag trio of loveable misfits joined together to defeat our rivals. With a little faith and a final push, we can win!”</p><p>She doesn’t know where that came from, but she just prays it’s enough to motivate her friends. And then the strangest thing happens.</p><p>It works. Willow lets out a grunt of effort and pushes back Boscha, slamming the butt of her sword against her helmet. The girl screams (it’s surprisingly feminine coming from Boscha) and drops on her side. Gus loosens his shield from his arm and throws it with all his might, and it smacks into Skara’s bow and knocks it to the floor. He swings around his spear and charges, slamming into Skara with the butt of it and she collapses.</p><p>Luz can’t believe that worked. Even Amity is looking shocked now, blinking at her friends in amazement. She looks back at Luz and narrows her eyes.</p><p>“How did you do that?” She asks darkly, and Luz doesn’t really know what to say.</p><p>“I… uh…. Magic?” She tries feebly.</p><p>She narrows her eyes and charges, and Luz feels a strength she didn’t know she had enter her body. She slides Aletheia down Amity’s blade and shoves, pushing her backward and away from her. She tries shouting to her friends again, hoping for the same effect.</p><p>“I believe in you guys! You’re the stronger half-bloods!”</p><p>It seems to work again. When Boscha tried to get to her feet, Willow swings her sword and the barricade of plants reaches out and wraps around her arms and legs, sealing her in place. Gus spins his spear back around as Skara gets up and stabbed at the top of her helmet, knocking it clean off Skara’s head and sending it spinning into the dirt.</p><p>Around them, a crowd has begun to form. Eda and Lilith had appeared from the trees, refereeing the whole battle with watchful eyes. Luz didn’t have a lot of time to look, but she thought she saw Eda give her a thumbs up. The campers on the red team that was inside blue’s territory must have heard that they could exit the thorn wall here, but they’ve now stumbled to a halt around the fight between the six half-bloods. The blue team who was chasing them had also skidded to a stop, including Viney and Jerbo who were watching the whole thing with wide eyes.</p><p>Luz was feeling pretty proud of herself until with a single swing Amity had leaped forward and disarmed her, <em>Aletheia</em> spinning into the dirt. It hit the ground a few feet away, and now Luz was weaponless in front of Amity, who didn’t look very pleased.</p><p>“How are you doing that?” Amity hissed, losing patience and beginning to step closer.</p><p>Luz didn’t know what to do. She didn’t have her sword, so if Amity swung she couldn’t do anything to get away. Her friends were too busy with their own battle, so she had nothing to protect herself with. But she did have something else… something she hadn’t been sure about using before. But now she might not have a choice.</p><p>“No, Amity! Don’t step any closer!” Luz warned, holding out her now-empty sword hand pleadingly. She really didn’t want to do this.</p><p>Amity hesitated suspiciously. “Why, Luz?” She asked, her voice so low it was almost a whisper. “What happens if I step closer?”</p><p>Luz opened her mouth to respond, but she didn’t even know what she would say. It didn’t matter, because Amity wasn’t giving her a choice. She lunged with her sword, and Luz sidestepped and threw out her hand, clamping the hand buzzer around the inside of Amity’s wrist.</p><p>Luz felt the zap against her own hand just from the recoil and yelped. But it was nothing compared to how hard it hit Amity. She watched as Amity cried out in pain when the current shocked right through her, and Luz quickly let go. Amity dropped to one knee and started shaking her wrist violently, and Luz the opportunity to scoop up her sword from off the ground, disarming Amity and pointing the blade towards Amity’s chin.</p><p>The second she did that, there was chaos. Luz heard shouting from the other side of the creek, and Willow swung her sword and dropped the wall of thorns like it was nothing. A flurry of blue helmets broke across the creek, carrying a huge red banner. Cheers erupted from the blue team, signaling that they had officially won the game. Willow and Gus relaxed their weapons and a grin broke out onto their faces, so Luz followed suit and lowered her own blade.</p><p>She wanted to celebrate, but she was feeling extremely guilty. Leaning down, she offered her hand to Amity.</p><p>“I’m sorry I shocked you, I was really trying to avoid doing that,” she said genuinely.</p><p>Amity was wincing, and when she opened her eyes, Luz watched her look around the clearing. Her cheeks pinked when she realized that the crowd had formed and seen her fall to her knee.</p><p>Looking up at Luz, her eyes filled with anger, and she slapped her hand away and got to her feet. “Put that away. You didn’t really beat me, I had you disarmed.”</p><p>Luz’s eyebrows pinched together in frustration. “Well, to be fair-”</p><p>Her words died in her throat as Amity just picked up her sword and walked away from her, over to Skara and Boscha who were shakily getting to their feet.</p><p>The second she walked away, everybody’s attention fell on her. The gathering campers who had watched the fight were calling out their encouragements to Luz for her performance. Jerbo was nodding in approval, and Viney gave her a thumbs up. Edric and Emira had appeared from near the side of the red team and were watching her with those smug smiles on their faces. Luz thought it was weird they weren’t upset they lost.</p><p>Willow and Gus raced over, their eyes wide in wonder.</p><p>“Luz, that was awesome! How did you do that?” Gus exclaimed, and Luz felt the guilt rise up in her chest again.</p><p>“What do you mean? You know I had the hand buzzer-"</p><p>“No, not that!” Willow said, equally as excited. “The way you gave us that pep talk! It was amazing!”</p><p>Luz didn’t know what to say, but thankfully Eda’s voice drowned out any kind of answer she could have given them.</p><p>“You did great, kid!” Eda exclaimed excitedly, running over and ruffling Luz’s hair with her hand. Lilith was standing back a little, looking a little flustered that Luz’s team had won, but when she met Luz’s gaze she nodding encouragingly. “You were out there like Leonida’s rallying his warriors! How’d you do that?”</p><p>Luz was getting overwhelmed now, her eyes widening in panic as she backed away. “I don’t know! I didn’t think it was anything I was doing in particular-”</p><p>Loud gasping around the clearing shut Luz right up. Everybody was staring at her in awe, pointing and whispering. Eda, for the first time Luz had seen her, looked at a loss for words.</p><p>“What?” Luz asked in alarm, her voice cracking as it increased in pitch. Willow and Gus just pointed above her head, and when Luz looked up she squeaked in alarm.</p><p>It was a bronze glowing symbol, glaring blazingly above her head. It was some kind of staff, with two snakes wrapped around it. The symbol was spinning wildly. Luz recognized it immediately. It was the symbol above the door to her cabin.</p><p>“My… my dad…” Luz said, also at a loss for words.</p><p>“The Herald of the Gods,” Eda said. When Luz looked back, all the campers in the clearing had gotten quiet and were kneeling around Luz. Even Amity and her friends did it, though it was clear by the look on their faces they weren’t too happy about it. Eda was kneeling too, but she also looked smug, shooting Luz a cheeky smile.</p><p>“The Protector of Travelers, Merchants, Thieves, and Orators. All hail, Luz Noceda. Daughter of Hermes.”</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. My Rival Has to Save Olympus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The victory party for the blue team was in full gear in the pavilion, but Luz was too distracted to even enjoy it. Her brain was running a mile a minute, and every time she had a thought she zoned out, unable to ignore it.</p>
<p>She didn’t know how to feel, which was starting to become a habit. On one hand, she had never been so excited in her life. Her father had claimed her, in front of everybody, and announced to the whole camp that Luz was his. She had never known anything about her dad besides what her Mami had said about him, so now that she could really put a name to who he was, Luz felt seen.</p>
<p>But a part of her, a part that she hated that she felt, was angry and resentful with her father. He had known who Luz was her whole life, and he had never once visited her or helped out her Mami when they were struggling. Luz remembered when she had worked three double shifts back to back, and almost collapsed with exhaustion. Hermes could have helped them. He could have been there.</p>
<p>As they were shedding their armor and freshening up together to head to the pavilion for the celebration, she expressed this frustration to Willow and Gus. The pair had shot her sympathetic smiles as Luz shifted Aletheia back to a ring, and tucked the buzzer into her shorts pocket to return to Eda at the celebration.</p>
<p>“We know how you feel,” Gus said quietly. “Most half-bloods never know or meet their godly parents.”</p>
<p>Willow nods, “Gus and I have been at camp for years and never met ours.”</p>
<p>Luz swallows her frustration. That isn’t right. It isn’t fair for a parent to just abandon their kids because they thought they had better things to do.</p>
<p>“But the upside is that most of us have our siblings!” Willow adds with a gleam of excitement. “They make being a half-blood a lot more fun.”</p>
<p>Willow had a point there. Now that Luz was claimed, she couldn’t believe she actually had siblings! Well, half-siblings. After she’d been claimed, Viney and Jerbo had run-up to her and pulled her in for high fives. They told her how excited they were that she’d be staying in their cabin, and even called her their sister. Luz had never felt any kind of sibling love like that before, and without even realizing it, her eyes had gotten misty and her throat had closed up with affection.</p>
<p>“You’re right, Willow,” Luz said, giving her a genuine smile.</p>
<p>The trio walked practically arm in arm to the pavilion, and when Luz saw it, she gasped. The place was practically unrecognizable from the last time she had seen it at breakfast. The tables had been covered with white tablecloths, and there were tasteful blue streamers and decorations hanging from the columns. The sun was setting so there was a beautiful glow over it, and torches were lit everywhere to light it up. The place was packed: with demigods, nymphs, and satyrs all partying together. When they walked in, a demigod from the Dionysus cabin saw them and cheered when they realized they had played on the blue team, laying laurels around their necks.</p>
<p>“Holy Zeus,” Gus exclaimed with glee. “I forgot how awesome the party can get when the Dionysus cabin wins the games.”</p>
<p>Luz was grinning excitedly and she pumped her fist in the air, her previous worries long forgotten. “This is awesome! I love being a half-blood!”</p>
<p>They quickly adapted to the party and Luz couldn’t ever remember having so much fun. A lot of the red team players were there despite their loss, but a lot of them were having too much fun to actually hold a grudge against the blue team's cabins. Luz was soon chatting amicably with demigods from both the Apollo cabin and the Hephaestus cabin, but she did notice as she wandered around that the Ares campers were nowhere to be found.</p>
<p>“By the way Augustus, that was an awesome distraction by the creek today,” one of the Apollo campers, who had introduced herself as Bo, said. Gus rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous laugh as Willow and Luz turned to look at him.</p>
<p>“What is she talking about, Gus?” Luz asked with a frown, and Willow raised a brow as well.</p>
<p>He was starting to look more and more stressed. “Well, I might have suggested to Viney that Amity and her friends had it out for Luz and that if she was stationed somewhere Amity could find her… she’d be willing to put aside her chances of winning to challenge her.”</p>
<p>“You used me as bait?” Luz yelped, her eyes widening. Gus put up his hands defensively.</p>
<p>“Not exactly! I just knew that an opportunity to take the flag might present itself if the red team's best swordfighter was otherwise occupied.”</p>
<p>“You used her as bait,” Willow said with a disapproving frown.</p>
<p>“Sorry, Luz,” Gus said sheepishly.</p>
<p>Luz shrugs, assuring him she isn’t upset. Despite her surprise with the whole situation, Luz wasn’t mad. It’s not like they’d been hurt. In fact, it had been pretty great all things considered, but that wasn’t because Luz was a skilled camper. It was that she had gotten lucky and had a few tricks up her sleeve Amity and her friends hadn’t been expecting.</p>
<p>Amity… Luz was still really feeling guilty about using the hand buzzer. Even if Amity was mean to her, she hadn’t deserved to be embarrassed like that. And even if the buzzer was a magic item and technically allowed, Luz felt like a cheater. Without even realizing she was doing it, Luz started to scan around the pavilion for her, wondering if she was at the party.</p>
<p>As she looked through the crowd, her eyes finally fell on just the girl she was looking for. Amity was standing at the edge of the crowd, with Edric and Emira next to her. Luz put her goblet of lime soda down on the table and excused herself from the conversation, turning and heading towards them slowly, not sure how to integrate herself into their circle.</p>
<p>As she got closer, Luz made out that Amity’s face was bright red. Emira was nudging her with her elbow, and Edric grinned at her cheekily, and Luz wondered if she should just turn around and come back later. But then Amity’s gaze shifted towards Luz and the pair made eye contact, and her blush faded into a scowl.</p>
<p>“Oh, it’s you,” she scoffed, and Luz winced.</p>
<p>“Hey, Amity…” she tried.</p>
<p>“What do you want?” She asked, clearly not interested in humoring their conversation. “Haven’t you done enough to make me look like an idiot?”</p>
<p>“Quit being mean to your friends, mittens,” Edric said, and Amity’s scowl deepened.</p>
<p>“She’s not my friend.”</p>
<p>With that, she turned heel and stormed away, and Edric and Emira laughed to themselves, which made Luz furrow her brow.</p>
<p>“What’s so funny?” She asked them, and Emira cocked an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“The fact that mittens got played today, cutie,” she said, and Luz couldn’t help the embarrassed blush that formed on her cheeks. “She’s the camp's pride and joy, and she just got outsmarted and outmatched by the new girl and her team of underdogs.”</p>
<p>Luz wasn’t sure if she should be offended or not. The twins didn’t give her a chance to decide.</p>
<p>“It’s always fun getting mittens hot under the collar,” Edric added with a sly smile. “Like telling her exactly where you were so she’d ditch the flag and run after you instead.”</p>
<p>“You guys were the ones who told her where we were?” Luz asked in shock. “But you sabotaged your own team and lost!”</p>
<p>“We don’t consider knocking mittens down a peg a loss,” Emira shrugged. “Besides, you’ve seen how she acts. Somebody had to do it.”</p>
<p>It looks like Luz hadn’t been the only half-blood played by the Blight twins.</p>
<p>Luz shuffled her feet guiltily. She needed to talk to Amity. “Look, you guys are cool and all-”</p>
<p>“Mhmm,” The twins nodded together.</p>
<p>“But I need to find mittens, I mean… Amity.”</p>
<p>“Alright, but you’re way too fun for her,” Emira said with a grin, shooting her a wink. Luz definitely needed to go before her face got any redder than it already was.</p>
<p>She broke off in the direction Amity left in, keeping an eye out for green hair. She walked around the back of the pavilion and paused when she caught sight of Amity. She was sitting against one of the columns in the dark, out of sight and away from the rest of the campers. Her knees were tucked into her chest as she sat on the floor, her head pressed against them with her eyes screwed shut. Luz realized that she was on the verge of tears.</p>
<p>She walked towards her slowly and uncertainly. “Amity… I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>Amity looks up at her and her eyes narrow as she scoffs. “Seriously? Just leave me alone.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Luz pleaded, and Amity turns and glares at her, but Luz thinks it’s more out of sadness than anger now.</p>
<p>“Well, that’s all you’ve done! First in front of Eda, and now this?” Luz opens her mouth to try and defend herself, but then Amity gets to her feet and strides towards her.</p>
<p>“You made me look like a fool in front of the whole camp!” Amity cries out, and Luz is taken aback by how her voice cracks with hurt. “You think it’s so easy to be a half-blood, but I have been working my whole life to get to the top.”</p>
<p>Luz is realizing now that this goes much deeper than just a fun game of capture the flag. She is speechless when Amity points an accusing finger in her face, her voice rising desperately. “You lost. I had you completely disarmed and you tricked me. You cheated! Say it! Say that you didn’t really win!”</p>
<p>Luz’s shoulder drop and she says to Amity what she’s been thinking since the game ended.</p>
<p>“I didn’t really win.”</p>
<p>Amity doesn’t really know what to say at that, and her expression drops immediately. Luz turns and slides down the column into a sit. Luz reaches into her pocket and pulls out the hand buzzer, showing it to her. Amity slowly sits down next to her and looks.</p>
<p>“Eda gave me this after we saw you in the arena yesterday. I knew I was going to lose after I saw you with your sword. You’re the better camper. But I tried really hard to learn.”</p>
<p>Amity is now looking at the buzzer with a guarded expression like she isn’t sure what to think of it. “It’s enchanted with condensed lightning, I knew the second it touched me.”</p>
<p>“Eda is a daughter of Zeus…” Luz mused, pursing her lips. She turned her head to look Amity in the eyes.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry. This whole half-blood thing isn’t coming naturally to me like it does for you. I’ve had to improvise a little bit.”</p>
<p>Amity’s gold eyes blink into hers before she sighs. “Maybe you aren’t a cheater,” she drops her gaze to the floor awkwardly. “I haven’t exactly been the friendliest camper around. I’ll think on that.”</p>
<p>Luz feels a little smile begin to prick on her cheeks, and she thinks that maybe she had Amity pegged wrong. Maybe she’s not a bully after all.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a scream echoes from the pavilion, making Luz’s blood run cold. It’s followed by another, and then another. Luz and Amity both shoot to their feet, their expressions darting to one another in alarm.</p>
<p>“What is that?” Luz asks, and Amity’s eyes just widen in fear before she draws her sword and races around the column towards the party. Luz swallows and touches her ring, and then she’s holding her knife in her hand and following after her.</p>
<p>When they race into the pavilion, Luz’s heart drops. Campers, nymphs, and satyrs scatter everywhere as a dozen of what looks like literal skeleton soldiers have drawn bronze swords and slash through tables, aiming for any living bodies they can. They are almost nothing but bones, wearing bronze armor and hissing angrily. They all speak together at once, and the words send chills right down Luz’s spine.</p>
<p>“Children of the gods will pick their side,” they say, over and over again like on a rhythm. “The fires of Olympus will finally die.”</p>
<p>Luz sees Eda and Lilith standing protectively around a group of unarmed campers, slashing their swords valiantly at six of the twelve approaching skeletons while King growls angrily at their feet. Lilith swings expertly, hitting two of them in one go as they dissolve. Eda raises her sword to the sky, and the air stinks like ozone before pointing her sword at one, and a thunderbolt streaks across the blade and smacks it right in the chest, disintegrating it. Luz knows she isn’t needed there. The daughters of Zeus have it under control.</p>
<p>Amity has made a running leap towards her siblings who are face to face with two skeletons. She slashes down through the back of one, and her siblings each make a swing with their own swords, so Luz thinks they’ll probably be okay for now.</p>
<p>Luz scans the clearing desperately for Gus and Willow. She hears them before she sees them. Gus thrust his spear through one skeleton as Willow stands in front of Viney, protecting her from two others. The head of the Hermes cabin has collapsed onto the floor, clutching her arm. Luz’s protective instinct kicks into overdrive at the sight, and she roars in anger, charging towards one skeleton and slashing with her knife, dissolving it into dust as Willow’s sword makes short work of the other one.</p>
<p>Luz scans around the clearing and realizes that all of the skeletons have been disintegrated. Eda and Lilith quickly try to rally the scattered campers, and Willow, Gus, and Luz lean down to Viney in worry.</p>
<p>Luz almost blacks out at the sight. She has a deep slash down her arm from a bronze sword, and blood is running down her arm and soaking the ground and the shirt.</p>
<p>“Owwww,” she groans quietly, gritting her teeth. Luz thinks this is definitely not just an “Ow” situation.“What do we do?” Luz yelps in alarm, but Willow is already on it. She has turned to the Apollo campers, most of who are slowly starting to file back into the pavilion after scattering.</p>
<p>“Medic! We have an injured camper!” She yells, and the girl Luz had met earlier, Bo, heads over urgently and drops to her knees, pulling a first aid kit from her belt.</p>
<p>Gus pulls Luz away from Viney. “She’ll be okay, Apollo is also the god of medicine. We need to listen to Eda and Lilith.”</p>
<p>Luz gulps, looking at Viney to make sure she’s ok. The girl smiles feebly at her and gives her a shaky thumbs-up, so Luz does what she’s told and heads over to the circle of gathering campers.</p>
<p>She stands with Willow and Gus in the crowd, and most of the campers have returned to the pavilion post skeleton attack. The other campers who didn’t attend the party have also come when they heard the ruckus, so Boscha and the Ares cabin are there too, with Skara and some of the other Apollo kids right behind them.</p>
<p>Luz sees Amity and her siblings in the crowd too, and Amity is being fussed over by Emira, which she is not having. She pushes her away, wiping at her face. Luz realizes there is a cut on her cheek, which she must have gotten when she ran to help her siblings.</p>
<p>Eda and Lilith stand on a table so everyone can hear them, with King prowling anxiously at their heels. Eda is trying to whistle to get the crowds attention, while Lilith is chatting lowly to the boy who sits at the Head table with them and King. Barcus, the camp’s human oracle. The camp is quiet very quickly, all of them nervously glancing around like at any moment more skeletons might show up.</p>
<p>“Everybody, please calm down.” Lilith eventually says as she pulls away from Barcus to address the crowd. “I know all of you are scared, but everything is going to be fine.”</p>
<p>“How did those skeletons get through the camp’s magic?” One camper called from the crowd, and Luz’s brow furrowed. She’d forgotten the camp had enchanted barriers to protect them and was wondering the same thing. From what Willow described, they were almost impossible to penetrate.</p>
<p>“There are some ways to bypass the camp's magical borders,” Eda answers with a frown, her gold eyes scanning through the crowd. “Somebody inside camp could have summoned them, or an immortal being could have given them our location. That is not what is important. What we need to focus on right now is the call for a quest.”</p>
<p>There was a ripple of whispers at that, as campers eyed one another nervously. Luz isn’t sure what the problem is.</p>
<p>“What’s the big deal?” Luz whispers to Willow, who is worrying her lip. “Quests sound kind of cool.”</p>
<p>“A quest is only given to campers when something serious is happening in our world, or when a god requests one. They’re very rare and very dangerous,” she whispers back. “Only the strongest half-bloods are nominated for one.”</p>
<p>“There is something we have been keeping from you all.” Eda continues, and Lilith seems to pass her an annoyed look, but Eda just continues. “Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, is missing. She was kidnapped from Olympus earlier this week. The gods did not want us to take action until we were given a sign that it was the right time to proceed.”</p>
<p>There is a loud commotion at that. Luz blinks and turns to her friends with her mouth dropped open. “Hestia has been kidnapped? Like… the goddess of the hearth? How is it even possible to kidnap a goddess?”</p>
<p>“It’s happened before in stories,” Gus says offhandedly, fidgeting nervously with his hands. “Hephaestus caught Aphrodite and Ares a couple of times. It’s very difficult though.”</p>
<p>Eda purses her lip at the commotion and then glances over at Viney, who is being treated at one of the tables. She stamps her foot loudly to keep the attention of the crowd. “Now is as good a sign as any that we must have a quest. Barcus is willing to give a prophecy to one nominee, who will be tasked with finding Hestia and returning her safely to Olympus.”</p>
<p>There was another shout of noises as names began to be called into the air. One of the campers shouted, “why don’t you and Lilith go? You’re the daughters of Zeus, and you have plenty of experience.”</p>
<p>Eda and Lilith shared a look before Lilith shook her head. “We must stay here, in case we need to protect Camp Half-Blood from another attack. Someone else must go.”</p>
<p>Luz wasn’t sure who said it first, but then, from around the clearing loud and clear rang out: “I think it should be Amity.”</p>
<p>Once it was said once, the whole camp seemed to be in agreeance.</p>
<p>“Yeah, Amity is one of our most experienced campers!”“She’s one of the best swordfighters I’ve seen…”</p>
<p>“And she’s tough, she’d be able to carry through with it.”</p>
<p>A smile split Luz’s face when she realized what was happening. Amity’s hard work was finally paying off like she’d confessed to earlier. The camp really did see her as the best of the best. Luz turned to find her in the crowd, and when her eyes locked on Amity, her expression made her do a double-take. Amity didn’t look excited, or proud. She looked terrified.</p>
<p>“Why isn’t she happy?” Luz asked with a frown.</p>
<p>“Don’t be too hard on her,” Willow muttered, and Luz was surprised by how sympathetic she looked. From what Luz thought, Willow and Amity’s relationship wasn’t that great. “Being nominated is a hard job.”</p>
<p>Amity eventually took a breath and steeled her expression, moving forward to stand next to Eda and Lilith. Lilith looked at her slowly and then cleared her throat.</p>
<p>“Amity Blight, do you accept this quest?”</p>
<p>“I do,” Amity said, wiping any previous nervousness off of her face.</p>
<p>Barcus slowly stepped forward and shifted the glasses on his face. “Amity, if it’s alright I’d like to give you the prophecy somewhere quieter. It’ll just be for a moment.” Luz had never heard Barcus speak before, but it was a lot huskier than she’d thought it would be.</p>
<p>Luz watched Amity swallow, before nodding her head. The pair slowly made their way behind the pavilion and out of sight.“As per rules of the quest, the nominee may choose two other campers to accompany them on their journey.” Eda continued, shifting the sword in her hand back into Owlbert. The little owl cooed and perched itself on her shoulder. “When Amity returns, she may choose her companions.”</p>
<p>“Gee, I wonder who it’ll be,” Gus mumbles sarcastically, and Luz thinks he makes a good point. Boscha and Skara have already pushed their way to the front, and the campers parted, knowing who Amity would choose.</p>
<p>When Amity and Barcus make their way back to stand next to Eda and Lilith, the crowd seems to be holding their breath. Luz examines Amity as she approaches. At first, she assumes Amity is just being serious due to the situation, but as she looks closer she notices her shoulders twitch, and her gold eyes betray her. Luz would know that look anywhere. Whatever she’s just heard has terrified her.</p>
<p>She doesn’t even wait before speaking. “I choose Boscha and Skara as my companions.”</p>
<p>The two other campers step forward quickly, each taking place at Amity’s side. Luz, like the rest of the camp, figured this might happen, so it’s not surprising. What does confuse Luz though, is that when they stand next to her Amity isn’t looking at them. Instead, she turns looks directly at Luz. They make eye contact, and then Amity quickly turns away. Luz feels the breath leave her body, but she’s forced to turn her head back to look at Eda.</p>
<p>“Amity, Boscha, and Skara,” she says, sizing them up with her eyes. “You will leave tomorrow at dawn to go and find Hestia and return her to Olympus.”</p>
<p>“We won’t fail,” Amity promises, and now that Luz has seen what Amity is actually feeling, she wonders how she says those words with so much confidence. She wonders if Aphrodite’s kids have similar public speaking skills to the Hermes campers.</p>
<p>While three nominees head out of the pavilion with Lilith to discuss their plans for their journey, the rest of the campers are instructed by Eda to help clean up the mess. Luz’s muscles are aching from the game of Capture the Flag, and even more so after fighting the skeletons, but cleaning helps keep her mind off of everything that’s just happened. Besides, she gets to work with Gus and Willow, which is always a bonus.</p>
<p>Eda dismisses the three of them in particular after they almost collapse in exhaustion from lifting one of the broken columns back into the air, holding it in place so a camper from Cabin Nine can use their enchanted blowtorch to put it back together. Luz trudges alone back to the Hermes cabin, and when she pushes open the door she hopes to see Viney back in the bunk. But it’s just Jerbo sitting there alone on the bunk below hers. All her other siblings must still be cleaning up.</p>
<p>“Where’s Viney?” Luz asks worriedly, “I thought you helped carry her to the infirmary?”</p>
<p>“They want her to stay overnight for monitoring,” he says, the exhaustion heavy in his voice. “She’s probably going to be okay though.”</p>
<p>This doesn’t calm Luz down, but she supposes there’s nothing she can really do. The anxiety from today weighs heavy in her belly, so she goes into her chest and grabs her new pj’s and her phone, and she gets ready for bed before hiding the phone in the waistband of her shorts before climbing into her bunk.</p>
<p>She knows she isn’t allowed to have one, so she waits until Jerbo is snoring lightly below her before she opens it up and texts her Mami. After the chaos of today, she still has so many unanswered questions, some of them nobody can answer but her.</p>
<p>
  <em>Hola, Mami. Eda is letting me use my phone to text you and tell you about today. We played capture the flag and my dad claimed me. I guess you already knew this, but he’s Hermes. He passed along some abilities to me I didn’t even know I had. Did you know I am a really good public speaker? I was able to get my friends to push themselves a little harder today and we ended up winning the game. It sucks it couldn’t come in handy all those times I got in trouble at school. Maybe if I’d known I could have talked my way out of those messes.</em>
</p>
<p>She hits send on the first paragraph and worries her bottom lip between her teeth. There are so many other things too, but she doesn’t want to scare her Mami or make her think she shouldn’t have let Luz stay here.</p>
<p>
  <em>My friend, well, I guess she isn’t really a friend. More like a rival I guess. She got assigned a quest today. She’s going to find a missing goddess and save Olympus. Despite how crazy that all sounds, I’ve never been happier than when I’m at Camp Half-Blood. I think I finally found my kind of people like you always wanted me to do. But I still really miss you. Maybe I’ll ask Eda if I can call you soon. Buenas noches, Mami.</em>
</p>
<p>She tucks the phone under her pillow, and before she knows it exhaustion takes over her and she falls asleep.</p>
<p>The dreams come for the second time. This time though, she isn’t at school. She’s somewhere warm, and there is a cool summer breeze blowing in the distance. She feels the rocky ground beneath her feet, and the air is crisp like she’s up high.</p>
<p>Then there’s the laugh again, and the same feeling of the sword poking against her back as the last one. She holds up her hands in surrender.</p>
<p>“Your friends are scared, little hero.” He whispers into her ear, and Luz swallows, trying not to make a sound. She looks up at the sky and realizes she can see the peak of a mountain, the top of it covered in a sheet of white snow.</p>
<p>“The gods were cruel to me, too. They ruined me, made me obsessed with earning their honor and glory. And what did it get me? You are their pawn, just as I was.” The breathing gets closer to her ear, and Luz squeezes her eye shut, willing this to end.</p>
<p>“Think to yourself, what will their glory get you, little hero?”</p>
<p>She shoots awake wildly from the nightmare, panting and drenched in sweat.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. A Hellhound Requests Cuddle Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am back with another chapter! Things are really starting to kick off with the story, and the plot is starting to really move. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Luz, you look terrible! When was the last time you slept right?” Willow asks in shock, reaching over and gently turning Luz’s face in her hands.</p><p>She laughs nervously and gently pushes her hand away. “I’m fine! I just didn’t sleep well last night, but I’m sure tonight will be better.”</p><p>It was a blatant lie. She hadn’t slept right since the night Amity was nominated for her quest. The last fourteen nights since she’d left, Luz had been plagued with the nightmares of the man in the mountain, pointing the sword and her and laughing. Some nights were better than others, but last night had been particularly draining, and Luz had only slept for a couple of hours.</p><p>Luz had always been good at hiding her problems from the people in her life, usually with her Mami, but she supposed she was starting to push what she thought she could get away with. She had never really had friends to lie to before.</p><p>The night of the nomination, Luz had been so terrified by the dreams she had left her cabin before the sun was even in the sky, deciding she would take a walk to clear her head. Usually, she would draw, (the wall next to her bunk was quickly filling up with tacked up drawings and photos of her and her friends at camp) but the dream had freaked her out so badly all she’d wanted to do was leave the cabin as quick as she could.</p><p>She paced the strawberry fields in frustration, trying to put together what the dream had meant. She had slept funny on her arm and irritated the cut that had clotted over from where Amity’s sword had skimmed it, and while it didn’t hurt, it was itchy and uncomfortable.</p><p>She drew <em>Aletheia</em> watched the bronze blade appear in front of her, still so polished she could see her face reflecting in it. Luz remembered Willow and Gus saying the blade brought bad luck. Maybe that’s why she was having these dreams.</p><p>“Can’t sleep?”</p><p>Luz jumped, spinning around and holding up her sword defensively. She came almost face to face with Amity, who didn’t even flinch at the blade, her gold eyes staring at Luz blankly. Luz lowered her sword in embarrassment.</p><p>“Sorry about that,” Luz mumbled.</p><p>Amity shrugged her shoulders. Luz noticed that she was already packed and ready, dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, leggings, and boots. She had a black backpack swung over her shoulder, and the only remnants she was wearing that showed she might have been a camper was her amethyst-studded <em>xiphos</em> on her belt and the leather necklace around her neck.</p><p>Luz did a double-take when she saw it. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it before. There were seven beads strung on it, but the thing that made it stand out was the amethyst pendant strung around the middle. Now that Amity wasn’t wearing the staple orange t-shirt and jeans, it was a lot more obvious.</p><p>Amity was still staring at her, and Luz realized she had never answered her question.</p><p>“Uh… yeah. Nightmares, and whatever,” Luz added awkwardly, and Amity’s eyes flashed knowingly. Luz wondered if she wasn’t the only half-blood plagued by the dreams.</p><p>“So what are you doing down here?” Luz asked, trying to keep her voice light. Luz still didn’t really know what to make of Amity after their conversation last night. She felt like she had gotten a glimpse of who she might be under all those layers, but she still wasn’t sure.</p><p>Amity swallowed, looking away from Luz and towards the huge pine tree that stood proudly on Half-Blood Hill. Luz remembered Willow telling her that the tree was a huge source of the camp's magic and that the Golden Fleece on the tree wasn’t a replica, but the real deal.</p><p>“I come up here every morning and go for a walk before training,” she eventually said. Luz felt the tension radiating off of her in waves. She wasn’t sure if she should try and comfort her, or if she would think Luz was making fun of her.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” She tried gently, and Amity shuffled her feet.</p><p>“I’m fine. This is what all half-bloods are born to do. We do quests, and bring honor to Olympus.” Amity’s voice rose slightly as she said it, and Luz thought that Amity might just be saying it to convince herself.</p><p>“It’s okay to be scared,” Luz said softly, and Amity flinched. Frowning and slowly reaching out, Luz put her hand on Amity’s forearm. She tensed, her gaze turning back to Luz’s.</p><p>“I’d be terrified in your position,” Luz said honestly. While she had thought at the pavilion last night that a quest would be a fun adventure, her nightmares had given her a whole different perspective. At camp, she had all of her new friends to help pick up the pieces when something scary happened. On a quest, Amity would only have Boscha and Skara. She didn’t know Skara all that well, but from what she’d seen of Boscha she didn’t exactly peg her as the comforting type.</p><p>Amity looked down at Luz’s hand, then back up at her face. She seemed to be grappling with something before she just sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. She gently pushed Luz’s hand away.</p><p>“Can you just promise me one thing?” she asked quietly, turning her body away from Luz and wrapping her arm around her body. Luz was nodding the second the words were out of her mouth.</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Take care of the camp while I’m gone,” Amity said quietly, swallowing hard. “Demigod dreams are usually a good indicator of how serious things are. I don’t know who that guy is on the mountain, but he’s dangerous.”</p><p>Luz blinked, not sure why Amity would want her of all people to watch after the camp. But she looked so on edge, Luz wasn’t going to refuse.</p><p>“Uh, yeah sure. I’ll make sure everything is fine here.”</p><p>As Amity walked away to the pine tree where Lilith would send her and her friends off, Luz was smacked with the realization that she had never said anything to Amity about her dreams… and especially not about the man in the mountain.</p><p>Ever since she left camp with Boscha and Skara, Luz had been on edge. The conversation with Amity had really freaked her out, and Luz wanted to make good on her promise. She had changed and gotten ready in the Hermes cabin before setting right off to the Big House.</p><p>Hooty, the houses magic security guard/door stopper/living owl had asked Luz a bunch of questions she couldn’t answer when she just told him she needed to see Eda. Eda had opened the door in her pajamas, looking disgruntled to be woken up so early, but regardless she’d let Luz inside.</p><p>Luz hadn’t been expecting to tell Eda everything she’d seen in her dreams, or about her conversation with Amity, but she just hadn’t been able to keep it in any longer. Eda had sat there and listened intently, her face morphing from annoyance to worry the longer Luz talked. When Luz asked Eda to train her again, so she could make good on her promise to Amity, she had readily agreed.</p><p>Eda pushed her hard. It wasn’t in a way that freaked Luz out or anything, but she always expected Luz to be her best, and Luz would be lying if she said she didn’t find the whole experience exciting. She asked a ton of questions every night in the arena, and Eda would always offer a thoughtful (abelite unconventional) solution. Sometimes Willow or Gus joined them, and Eda would have Luz scrimmage against them while she offered pointers. King was always there too, usually sleeping in the corner or yelling threats of encouragement.</p><p>While Luz had learned a lot in the two weeks she’d been training with Eda, the mental and physical exhaustion of the nightmares was getting harder and harder to avoid. She didn’t want Willow or Gus to worry, especially since they didn’t know the full extent of her dreams.</p><p>“Yeah, seriously Luz,” Gus said, looking at her up and down. “You haven’t been yourself lately. You haven’t even touched your lunch, and that’s saying something.”</p><p>“If you have no meat on your bones, you will never be able to destroy your enemies!” King said from his place on Luz’s lap. The tiny talking hellhound had gotten into a habit of following Luz and her friends around, usually curling up in one of their laps or joining them for meals hoping he would get some of their food. Luz rolled her eyes at him, but there was no malice to the gesture, and she reached up to scratch behind his ears.</p><p>The trio had decided to get lunch together in the pavilion since it wasn’t as formal of an event as dinner the place was pretty empty. They were sitting at the Athena table by themselves, and even though Luz’s chicken and cheddar sandwich looked fantastic like all the other camp food, Gus was right. It remained untouched on her plate, with Luz’s appetite disappearing when they sat down and Luz caught a glimpse of one of the slash marks in the columns that had yet to be sealed post skeleton attack.</p><p>“I’m myself!” Luz tried, doing her best at her typical “Luz chipper” that her friends always made fun of her for. “I’m still good ol’ Luz! Camper extraordinaire!”</p><p>Willow and Gus shared a look, and Willow turned back to Luz and pursed her lips, not buying it.</p><p>“Luz, you need sleep,” Willow said firmly, her eyes locked on the bags that had been forming for days now under Luz’s eyes. “You’ve been pushing yourself way too hard.”</p><p>“I’m not pushing myself too hard,” Luz retorted with a frown, “I need to be the best I can be in case something like this happens again.” She gestured to the column, and Willow and Gus’ face lit up with understanding. Willow reached across the table comfortingly, putting her hand over Luz’s.</p><p>“Luz, it’s not likely that something like that will happen again,” Willow said, giving her a comforting smile. “It’s been two weeks since Amity left on her quest, and we haven’t had a sliver of trouble at all.”</p><p>Luz’s stomach flipped, thinking again about her last conversation with Amity. “Do you think they’re doing alright?”</p><p>Willow frowned, moving her hand away from Luz’s to clamp them in her own lap. “It’s hard to say with Amity… you never really know what she’s thinking.”</p><p>Luz blinked at the tone of Willow’s voice. It was almost… resentful. Even Gus noticed it, his mouth set into a hard line. Luz suddenly remembered something she’d forgotten that happened during capture the flag two weeks ago.</p><p>“During the game, Boscha called you “half a half-blood” Luz started curiously, unable to resist. Willow looked at her hands, clearly upset, and Gus shot Luz a warning look. Luz pinked, realizing she might have crossed a line.</p><p>“Sorry, it’s none of my business…” she started, but Willow cleared her throat, shaking her head.</p><p>“No, it’s alright. You’re my friend, you should know.” Willow looked up and met Luz’s gaze, giving her a nervous look. “They call me that because I’m not really a half-blood. Well… I am… I guess… but I wasn’t born the way a lot of you guys were. My dads have a really popular farm in Minnesota, and it was enough to get Demeter’s attention. She blessed them, and my dad’s say I just showed up on the front porch of their farmhouse.”</p><p>Luz nodded slowly, picking up what she was saying. “So Amity and her friends bully you because you weren’t born like they were. That’s terrible.”</p><p>“Amity wasn’t always like that,” Willow mumbled quietly, looking forlorn. “When I came to camp, we were the same age and we became friends. But when I told her about my dad’s and what happened… well…”</p><p>“She ditched you for Boscha and Skara,” Luz concluded, doing her best to not get angry. “That’s stupid! The camp boundaries keep everybody who isn’t a half-blood out, and they let you in just fine. You’re just as good a half-blood as everybody else.”</p><p>“She’s not just as good, she’s better,” Gus added with a smile. “Demeter campers haven’t shown magical abilities like Willows in thousands of years.”</p><p>“Yeah!” Luz exclaimed with a grin, nodding to her encouragingly. “I saw you make that wall of thorns during the game, it was a huge reason our team won. Don’t even let Amity and her dumb friends convince you otherwise.”</p><p>Willow smiled bashfully. “Thanks, guys. But you know, even though Amity was so mean to me, I do really feel bad for her right now. I can’t imagine what she’s going through.”</p><p>There was a pause between the three of them as they suddenly grew solemn.</p><p>“I can,” Luz eventually said quietly.</p><p>Luz didn’t know if it was because Willow had just shared something personal with her, or because she couldn’t keep it bundled up any longer, but soon she was spilling everything. She told them about her conversation with Amity right before the skeleton attack, the dreams she’d been having ever since she got to camp, and then finally about the last time she saw Amity and the suspicion she had about the connection of their dreams.</p><p>By the time she’d finished telling them what happened, she slumped forward, feeling like a weight had finally gotten off her chest. Gus wrapped his arm around Luz comfortingly from next to her, and Willow somewhere along the way had taken Luz’s hand in hers again.</p><p>King had sat up and listened intently, and when she was done, he snuggled closer to her chest. “No wonder you’re so tired, Luz. I would be too if I had been having the same nightmare for so long.”</p><p>“Amity was right, half-bloods are known to sometimes get dreams when something is off with our world or Olympus,” Gus said, his brow furrowed with both worry and confusion. “But I don’t understand why you’re having similar dreams to Amity if you’re not a hero on her quest. That’s pretty unusual.”</p><p>“So you two haven’t had any dreams like this?” Luz asked desperately, and the two shook their heads. Luz sighed, reaching up to rub her tired eyes with her fist. “I don’t understand why this is happening. Who is this guy and why won’t he just let me sleep?”</p><p>“It’s not like any of what he said is easy to pinpoint either,” Willow mumbled with a shrug. “Lots of heroes and villains in Greek Mythology have a vendetta against the gods.”</p><p>“This must have something to do with Hestia,” Luz said certainly. “I think he knows where she is. If I could just talk to this guy-”</p><p>“That’s not how these dreams work,” Gus interrupted with a frown. “Sorry Luz, but you’ll only see what he wants to show you.”</p><p>“Amity had been having these dreams too,” Luz mumbled lowly, not wanting to upset Willow by bringing her up. Thankfully, Willow didn’t seem to be angry right now, just concerned. “She asked me to look out for the camp. Why?”</p><p>Willow and Gus shrugged, but King looked up at Luz with serious blinking eyes.</p><p>“If Amity is anything like you guys have just described, then she’s been thinking about this for a while. Luz is a new camper, and Amity wouldn’t just tell her something like that if it wasn’t important.”</p><p>The three half-bloods slowly started to nod. “You’re right, King.” Willow said, “I’ve known Amity for five years now, and she doesn’t do things like that on a whim. This means something.”</p><p>Except Luz didn’t know what it was, or what she could do to help. She groaned in frustration, letting her head hit the table with a clunk. “Why is being a half-blood so confusing,”</p><p>King wiggled underneath her. “You seem upset. Not that I want you to or would appreciate it at all, but you can hug me if you so choose.”</p><p>“Really?” Luz asked excitedly, scooping him up in her arms, and cradling him to her chest. King pretended he wasn’t happy about this, but Willow and Gus smiled knowingly when they saw King press his head against her collarbone.</p><p>“The King of Demons can also be the King of Cuddles,” he said, daring them to make a comment.</p><p>Luz was feeling a lot better as she and her friends headed to the arena for their afternoon practice. Eda had set up an obstacle course for campers in there and they would participate in teams to complete it. Today, the Hermes cabin would pair with Demeter, while the Athena cabin played against them and would pair with Aphrodite’s cabin.</p><p>While Luz was sad Gus wouldn’t be on her team, it would be nice to test her new skills and see how far along she was coming. She thought she was getting a lot better with her sword, and hoped all her hard work was boosting up her endurance and strength. Today would be the first real test since capture the flag… and as she had already confessed to Amity she hadn’t exactly won fairly.</p><p>The arena was divided into two sides, and Eda had obviously taken some inspiration creating this course from the mortal military one. Each side was composed of a short climbing wall with an oiled rope, a tough barricade of barbed wire you’d have to army crawl under, a balance beam (with enchanted vines to try and trip the camper, courtesy of Willow), and then the two competing campers would have to scrimmage at the end in a tiny makeshift circle. The first camper to be knocked outside the lines loses.</p><p>“For every camper who makes it to the end and wins the scrimmage, their team earns a point.” Eda finished, and Luz was beginning to feel stressed. That was a lot of work for one point. “The team with the most points at the end wins, with their chores divided amongst the losing team for one week. High stakes, kids.”</p><p>That perked Luz up, as well as the rest of the Hermes cabin. Their chore this week was dishes, which was definitely not fun since the Harpies wanted them to wash them in literal lava for a spot-free solution. Luz cuffed the sleeves of her camp shirt, getting excited at the idea of passing it along to a different cabin.</p><p>She saw Amity’s siblings, Edric and Emira, standing next to Gus. Maybe Aphrodite could get their chore. Luz thought that was fair revenge for letting them sneak past her during capture the flag.</p><p>Eda blew the whistle, and they were off. Luz’s team had decided that the Demeter cabin was going first, and they were going to line up according to seniority, which meant Luz had to run dead last. She fidgeted anxiously at the high stakes but did her best to ignore her nervousness to cheer on her team.</p><p>The other team, of course having Athena, had a different and more thought-out strategy. They would have their newest campers run first to try and secure a more solid lead at the end of the game when their best campers were still fresh and ready to run.</p><p>Willow ended up having to face Gus after the two had been neck and neck the whole time they ran the course. As Willow drew her sword and Gus his spear, the two were very well matched, and Luz was torn at who to cheer for. When she expressed this to Viney, the counselor jokingly threatened to strangle her.</p><p>“You better start cheering for Willow,” Viney said to Luz, not able to keep the smile off her face as she said it. Luz laughed.</p><p>Due to a quick slash from Willow’s sword, Gus had no choice but to step back to dodge, effectively being pushed out of the circle. He sighed in disappointment, and Willow apologized, but Gus just smiled and gave her a high five for her good effort.</p><p>With Luz’s team slightly in the lead, she continued to watch and wait for her turn. Viney went up against Emira, and Luz leaned forward excitedly. Despite her injury from two weeks ago, the slash had healed impossibly fast, and Viney had returned to training just a few days later. Viney had winked at Luz, saying the healing process was almost magical. Luz had a feeling she was making fun of her.</p><p> The two were a perfect match, with Viney swinging a three-foot sword hard towards her that got deflected every time by the tip of Emira’s knife. Luz gasped when she saw it happen, only a really talented knife user would be able to pull something off like that. She now understood why the Aphrodite cabin was no laughing matter.</p><p>Viney’s brow furrowed in frustration every time she did it, with Emira making a couple of teasing comments Luz couldn’t hear from so far away. It seemed to make Viney swing a little harder each time, and Luz wondered if this was the Blight twins “way with words” Willow and Gus had mentioned before.</p><p>Eventually, out of a pure slip on Viney’s part, she swung and Emira moved, causing Viney to accidentally step willingly out of the circle. Viney cursed in Greek, and Emira smiled coyly, and Eda called the point in favor of their team.</p><p>Viney walked shamefully back to their side, where her siblings all gave her murmurs of encouragement despite the loss.</p><p>“That girl is going to get her tongue cut out by someone one of these days,” she growled in annoyance to Luz and Willow. Luz thought she had a good point, but Willow just laughed.</p><p>The points jumped back and forth a couple more times before Luz realized she was up, and worse, the game was tied. Then she looked left and realized who she was up against.</p><p>Edric looked over at her and grinned, giving her a teasing wink. Luz’s face pinked, and she cuffed the sleeves of her shirt, ready to go. They waited for the campers to jog back to the beginning before they took off running, and when they reached the first climbing wall, Luz spared a glance towards Edric and her mouth dropped in surprise. He was keeping perfect pace with her, and he leaped over the wall like it was nothing. Like his sister, he was a natural.</p><p>Luz pushed herself up the wall with shaky hands, leaping into the air and hitting the ground running to the next task. Instead of army crawling like she was supposed to, (where Edric was already almost halfway done) she decided to try something a little more Luz, (Willow would later smack her and call it too risky and dangerous).</p><p>She tucked her back leg under her thigh, baseball sliding down on her back and under the entire barbed wire netting in one swift slide. She couldn’t believe it had worked, and she hadn’t poked out an eye or anything. When she cleared the netting (while getting another rush of adrenaline at the roar of approval from her team) she pushed herself to her feet and ran to the balance beam now neck and neck with Edric.</p><p>She saw Edric grit his teeth competitively and together they jumped up on the beam, sprinting far too fast for any of the thorns to latch around their ankles. When they landed smack into the center of the circle, they each drew their weapons and turned to face one another.</p><p>Edric had a three-foot <em>xiphos </em>that was so similar to Amity’s Luz almost did a double-take when she saw it. But instead of amethysts studded into the blade, Edric’s sword had gems that were blue. Edric seemed to be just as skilled at fighting as her sisters because when he swung at Luz and she connected her sword with his, the force of the impact almost knocked her out of the circle instantly. She grit her teeth and lunged, but he deflected the blade easily.</p><p>“Come on, Luz,” he said with a cheeky smile. “Where’s all that power Amity had to deal with during capture the flag?”</p><p>“You want power?” Luz asked, taking another swing at him. “I’ll give you power!”</p><p>The pair clashed for a few more minutes, and Luz had to block out the cheering coming from both sides of the teams. It was clear Luz’s team hadn’t known the full extent of what she could do, expecting her not to be able to hold a coin to Edric. But her training with Eda had her feeling fresh, and she found her pointers rushing back to her like muscle memory.</p><p>
  <em>“Remember to move in when you have a shorter blade.” </em>
</p><p>When Luz saw the opening, she took it. Pushing forward, she stabbed with Aletheia and forced Edric to take a few wild steps backward in an effort to getaway. The second he did it, his foot slide outside the circle.</p><p>“You’re out!” Eda yelled, and Luz’s team broke out into crazy cheers. “Hermes and Demeter win the game!”</p><p>Her team came rushing around her in an instant, patting her on the shoulders and screaming in her ears. Luz’s whole body vibrates with exhaustion and excitement. She’d done it! A grin broke out onto her face, and Willow and Gus met her eagerly, Willow pulling her in for a hug and Gus giving her a begrudging smile.</p><p>But Luz could only savor the moment for a few seconds, before the loudest road she’d ever heard came thundering down in the distance, over by Half-Blood Hill.</p><p>The crowd instantly quieted, all of them drawing their swords at the sound. Luz fumbled for her blade in terror, the volume of the roar itself washing terror over her body. Eda reached for Owlbert, shifting him into her spear holding up her hand. Her face was unusually serious, and she didn’t hesitate before rushing forward.</p><p>“Somebody is trying to get inside the camp. Half-bloods! Rally with me!”</p><p>The flood of campers from the four cabins drew their weapons and followed, and Luz hurried to keep pace with Willow and Gus.</p><p>“What does Eda mean, somebody is trying to get in?” Luz said to them, doing her best to steel her nerves from the serious situation.</p><p>“Most half-bloods who come to camp don’t fly in like you did, Luz,” Willow says seriously, gripping her <em>kopis</em> so hard her knuckles were turning white.</p><p>“Most of them come from the road by Half-Blood Hill,” Gus finished, looking unusually nervous. “Usually being chased by some kind of monster.”</p><p>Well, that explained the roaring. Reading her own sword, Luz and the other campers climbed the hill with Eda in the lead, heading towards whatever monster had just made that sound.</p><p>Luz was holding her breath as she reached the top, and the party of demigods passed the protective pine tree and into the forest. Luz looked around cautiously, but before she could even realize what was happening Willow was diving into her.</p><p>“Get down!”</p><p>There was another terrifying snapping roar, as she and Willow went tumbling away from the group, and the half-bloods scattered, Eda, yelling ferociously and calling out orders. Luz rolled to her side and got to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to locate what had just snapped at her.</p><p>When she saw it, her blood ran cold.</p><p>It was a dragon, but it wasn’t. It had huge thick scales, and claws that could cut Luz in half with one swipe. But the most terrifying thing about it was the head… no… the <em>heads</em>.</p><p>Six of them exactly, glaring around at the yelling half-bloods who had run to meet it. The one that had snapped at her and Willow had turned away when it realized it had missed them and turned back to Eda, who was stabbing wildly with her spear at its scales. Luz quickly helped Willow to her feet, and Gus joined them, hovering over them protectively with his own spear.</p><p>“What… is that?” Luz managed, so terrified she was lucky she hadn’t passed out.</p><p>“A Hydra,” Gus yelled, and Luz had no idea how he could look so awed in a dangerous moment like this. “Whatever you do, don’t cut off any of its heads!”</p><p>“Who was the Hydra chasing?” Willow asked, and Luz noticed that she was also trembling with anxiety. “We should find them while the monster is distracted by all the other campers!”</p><p>Luz knew she was right. With at least fifty campers helping fend off the Hydra, it was a good idea to look for whoever it had followed to the hill.</p><p>The three of them darted past the scales, dodging the snapping heads of the Hydra as they looked for anybody hurt.</p><p>“I don’t see anybody at all!” Gus exclaimed as he jabbed his spear at a head who had gotten too close while snapping at Viney and Jerbo.</p><p>“Me neither!” Willow yelled, slashing her sword at exposed scales from behind a tree. One Hydra head roared in outrage, giving Eda the opportunity she was looking for. She stabbed hard with her spear in its eye, and it must have been a daughter of Zeus thing because the whole head shook with electricity as it was stabbed, hitting the ground with a thud.</p><p>Luz scanned the clearing desperately when she saw them.</p><p>“There!” She screamed to her friends, pointing just beyond a large tree twenty feet away.</p><p>A girl in a black hoodie holding her sword in one hand while dragging along an injured girl, her other hand wrapped around her waist. The girl who was limping was holding a broken bow, and her face was streaked with exhaustion. When Luz realized who it was, her eyes widened in shock as she raced forward with Willow and Gus to help.</p><p>It was Boscha and Skara, and Amity was nowhere to be seen.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. I Get Sent on a Rescue Mission</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello hello! I'm back with another chapter. They'll probably start coming a little slower now that I'm not on my uni break anymore and have to keep up with assignments but I hope the wait is worth your while :) </p><p>This chapter is of course very plot-heavy, so if that's your thing I hope you enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz didn’t really like Boscha, but she wasn’t going to just let her carry Skara on her own. She raced over to help, wrapping her own arm on the other side of Skara. Willow joined her, not exactly happy about it either, but she held her arm out and gently took her from the pink-haired Ares camper.</p><p>“We’ve got her. You and Gus watch our flanks.”</p><p>Boscha opened her mouth like she was going to argue, but she must have been too exhausted to try. Nodding feebly, she gripped her <em>falcata</em> tightly and guarded Willow’s side, while Gus took a spot next to Luz. The four of them hurried past the Hydra, who was quickly realizing it couldn’t take forty campers and Eda on its own and was struggling to make for a retreat. As Luz and Willow dragged Skara within earshot of Eda, Luz opened her mouth and yelled as loud as she could.</p><p>“Eda! We have them!”</p><p>Eda, who had been helping the other Athena kids try and stab two heads weaving back and forth between them, nodded at Luz’s words and stuck her thumb up.</p><p>“Go! We’ll drive it back!”</p><p>They took off in a run, ducking between campers with Gus and a tired Boscha guarding their flanks. Luz thought they were in the clear when she screamed in surprise when one head snapped right above hers, so close its teeth almost cut the hair on her head.</p><p>Gus rushed forward to stab it, but he didn’t have to. Edric and Emira had seen what had happened, and they charged with fury to defend them. Emira stabbed her knife so hard into its eye it buried the knife to the hilt, and when the beast screamed in agony Edric thrust his sword straight up into its mouth, piercing it through.</p><p>As the head collapsed limply to the ground, (only leaving four remaining heads on the beast, thankfully nobody had cut any clean off) the twins turned to the four of them with wide eyes.</p><p>“Where’s Amity?” They both asked in unison, and Boscha swallowed thickly.</p><p>“Colorado,” she answered back with a yell over the sounds of the other campers and the screaming Hydra. The twins once again shared a look, and Luz thought that if possible, her answer panicked them even more than they already were.</p><p>“We’ve got you back!” Emira said determinedly, and the twins put their bodies in front of them.</p><p>“Get her to the infirmary,” Edric added, “once you pass the tree it’ll be clear to run!”</p><p>Luz and Willow didn’t waste any more time, pulling Skara along on their shoulders to pass the camp's border. Boscha and Gus followed behind them as they raced past the tree and down the hill. Skara made a pained noise as they changed elevation running downhill, and Luz cast her a worried look, her eyebrows pinching together at the agonized expression on her face. She looked down and gasped. Skara’s leg was bleeding profusely and bent at a horrific angle.</p><p>“What happened?” Luz asked Boscha, not really expecting her to respond. The Ares camper’s brows furrowed in annoyance, and Luz knew Boscha didn’t like or trust, and had no reason to tell her.</p><p>She was going to just look away and put all her energy back into running until something on her expression changed, and she answered.</p><p>“We got lost in Harrisburg. Skara and I got chased through Pennsylvania by a whole pack of hellhounds. We thought we were ok once we got back to New York, but then the Hydra surprised us in Jersey and tracked us all the way back to camp. We would have made it if it hadn’t managed to grab Skara’s leg.” Boscha sheathed her sword as she ran, clearly not in the mood to finish the story.</p><p>“I’ll run ahead and get a bed ready,” she said, breaking into a sprint and running off, leaving Willow, Gus, and Luz alone to get Skara there. The three of them shared nervous looks, all of them thinking the same thing. Why had Boscha and Skara left Amity in Colorado to come back to camp by themselves?</p><p>When we started to lift Skara up the steps to the infirmary, Boscha was already there with a stretcher, flanked by two Apollo cabin medics, including Bo. Luz and Willow gently lifted Skara off of their shoulders, laying her down on it. The medics lifted the stretcher and rushed off, disappearing inside the infirmary.</p><p>Boscha watched Skara go, and she seemed to deflate the second she was out of sight. Dropping her shoulders, Luz took in just how exhausted she looked. She was covered in dirt and mud like she hadn’t showered at all since the beginning of the quest. Boscha usually looked scary, but now she looked borderline feral, her eyes dark and haunted.</p><p>Willow, Gus, and Luz shared a glance, and Luz stepped forward nervously. “Boscha… are you alright?”</p><p>She looked up at Luz, and her expression pinched, her lip pulling up into a snarl. “Of course not, newbie. Hestia is still missing and Amity is gone and it’s <em>your</em> fault.”</p><p>Luz recoiled, her eyes widening.</p><p>“Why would you say something like that?” Gus exclaimed, stepping closer to Luz to put a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“I know you’ve had a rough time, Boscha, but that’s not an excuse to blame Luz for this!” Willow retorted angrily.</p><p>Boscha was so upset she stepped forward and got right in Luz’s face. “If Amity had just been honest with us about the prophecy from the beginning Skara wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Now she’s off playing the hero in your place.”</p><p>“What are you talking about?” Luz asked her whole body cold like somebody had just dumped ice water on her head. But even as she asked the question, she knew exactly what Boscha was talking about.</p><p>“Amity sent us back here because you need to go save Hestia,” Boscha spat, “you’re having the dreams, and you and Amity are the only ones who know where to go. This whole quest was a waste of mine and Skara’s time.”</p><p>“<em>What will their glory get you little hero?”</em></p><p>Luz felt her whole body shake, trying to keep her voice steady. “He has Amity, doesn’t he?”</p><p>Boscha was quiet, and Luz knew she had her answer.</p><p>Luz was taking off into a sprint before her brain could even process what she’d just heard. She needed to leave, she needed to go before anybody else got hurt because of Luz.</p><p>Sprinting away from the infirmary and up the hill back towards the fight, Luz was shocked to get to the top and realize the fight was over. All the campers had disappeared, including Eda, and there was nothing left of the Hydra but a huge pile of dust.</p><p>Spinning around without wasting another second Luz charged towards the Big House, getting desperate for any sign of Eda. Willow and Gus had followed her, and even they seemed surprised at how quickly the fight was over. When Luz turned to run, Willow and Gus tore after her again, yelling for her to slow down as they followed her all the way to the Big House.</p><p>Hooty had been sleeping, but Luz’s heavy footsteps running to the door woke him up.</p><p>“Hooty! Where’s Eda and Lilith?” She asked, and the owl tilted its circular head.</p><p>“Eda’s not back yet! But Lilith should be in the pavilion!” The owl head said, “do you want to hang out with me and talk?” Ignoring the owl, once again Luz changed directions and broke off into another run. Willow and Gus groaned to one another but loyally followed, trailing behind Luz.</p><p>When Luz skidded into the pavilion, she zeroed in on Eda standing next to Lilith with King at her feet, the two looked very solemn and grim. The campers who had helped fight the hydra were talking quietly to themselves, and more and more were trickling in as other cabins heard what had happened. Luz broke through the crowd, unable to contain herself any longer as she jerked to a stop next to Eda, who blinked in surprise at Luz’s sudden appearance.</p><p>“Are you alright, kid?”</p><p>“This is all my fault!” She exclaimed, her voice cracking with emotion as she told Eda what Boscha had revealed.</p><p>As she talked, Eda’s face morphed again into deeper concern. Lilith, who was listening to the whole thing, let her mouth fall open as she took in what Luz said.</p><p>“Why would Boscha blame you for Amity’s quest?”</p><p>Luz was practically vibrating with nerves when she looked around and realized everybody was watching her with wide eyes. She must have been louder than she thought, and now her panic was fading into anxiety with everybody listening in. Willow and Gus were panting from the run, but they both pressed encouragingly next to Luz’s sides. Taking a breath, she explained her dreams to Lilith, and when she was done she turned to Eda angrily.</p><p>“You knew about this and the prophecy the whole time and you didn’t say anything to me?”</p><p>Eda waved her hands in the air, “it was the other kid’s prophecy! She was allowed to pick whoever she wanted. Besides I didn’t know until after she left.”</p><p>“Eda!” Lilith hissed in frustration.</p><p>Luz couldn’t handle this anymore. “What are you talking about? What does Amity’s prophecy have to do with me?”</p><p>“It was incomplete when she got it.”</p><p>Luz turned her head to see Barcus, who was walking towards them while adjusting his glasses. His mouth was set in a firm line like he had just put together the pieces to a complicated puzzle. The campers started murmuring to themselves, and Luz swallowed nervously.</p><p>“Incomplete?” Luz said quietly, but because it was so quiet it still echoed across the pavilion. Barcus nodded slowly, examining Luz with thoughtful eyes.</p><p>“Your aura is strong and silly, like a baby’s laughter.”</p><p>Luz pinked, not because the comment was weird (it was, but Luz didn’t mind) but because she knew it was a compliment despite the strange wording. A little smile split on her face despite the tension she was feeling. Somehow Barcus’ words put her at ease.</p><p>“I gave Amity the prophecy without knowing she was only meant to receive one part of it. When it finished, I advised Amity that it seemed incomplete. She did not listen to me and said she could change the prophesy herself. I realize now that the second half of the prophecy is meant to be heard by you. You have a part to play in finding the goddess of the hearth.”</p><p>The camp around her whispered again, some of them probably thinking exactly like Luz, who was so shocked by what Barcus was saying she didn’t really know what to do with herself. “But I’m the newest camper here! I’m barely trained, and I don’t know the first thing about surviving quests.”</p><p>“It has to be you.”</p><p>Heads turned at the sound of the last person Luz thought would agree with something like this. Boscha had entered the pavilion, and the crowd parted to let her pass. While she didn’t look pleased with what she was saying and eyed Luz with undisguised annoyance, she did cross her arms with certainty.</p><p>“Skara and I had no idea until right before we lost her in Colorado, but Amity knew you had the same dreams as her.”</p><p>Luz swallowed, fidgeting with her hands nervously. “What happened? Where is Amity?”</p><p>The campers in the pavilion were now completely quiet, most of them leaning forward anxiously to hang on to every word Boscha said. Luz noticed Edric and Emira standing in the crowd around the rest of the Aphrodite cabin, and both of their faces were pale and nervous.</p><p>Boscha ran a hand through her hair, trying to look unbothered, but Luz saw right through it. She had been dodging the question ever since she came back to camp, and now that Luz was really pushing for answers, she realized that Boscha wasn’t just hiding it from her, but everyone at camp. Something she had seen had scared her so badly she didn’t want to talk about it.</p><p>“Look, I didn’t hear the prophecy. Amity wouldn’t tell me what it was,” she started, shuffling her feet. “But whatever it was, it had convinced her we needed to go to Colorado. She said she thought Hestia was being kept in Mount Elbert. We got to Colorado quick enough, we had a couple of run in’s with monsters… there was a Cyclops in Cleveland, and we barely scraped past the Chimera who had a den in the Topeka suburbs. But it was too easy. We knew it. We stayed the night in Cherry Hills Village-”</p><p>Edric and Emira flinched at that, but Luz was too distracted by the story to focus on it.</p><p>“But then Amity had a dream and insisted we turn back and go the other way. She took us to Boulder instead… there was a cafe that she said was important. But then these weird things started to happen. The ground seemed to melt under us and slow us down the closer we got. We were so thirsty… we stopped in a motel to rest when Amity told us about her dreams. And then he showed up, right there in the parking lot.”</p><p>Luz’s breath caught in her throat. “The man in the mountain?”</p><p>Boscha shook her head quickly, her face paling at the memory. “No, not him. Achilles.”</p><p>There was a terrible uneasy silence.</p><p>“Like… <em>the</em> Achilles?” Gus exclaimed, his face twisting in shock. “The Greek hero?”</p><p>Boscha’s expression darkened. “He’s no hero. He said he was a messenger for the man who freed him from the Underworld. He was sent to tell us to turn back. We didn’t think he was being serious, so Amity challenged him…”</p><p>“She lost,” Luz concluded, and Boscha swallowed and nodded.</p><p>“He was just as invincible as he was in the legends. Amity kept trying to hit his heel, but he blocked every swing she made. It was an impossible fight. Amity told us to run back to camp and get help.” She looked at Eda and Lilith regretfully, and Luz wondered if Boscha had ever looked so timid in her life. “She said to say that she failed.”</p><p>When Boscha finished her story, the camp exploded. Campers started fighting amongst themselves, yelling questions about who the man in the mountain was, and why a demigod would turn against another demigod. Viney and Jerbo along with the rest of the Hermes cabin looked bleak, glancing at one another and then back at Luz. Emira and Edric were way too quiet, conversing quietly with one another. Luz felt numb as she processed what Boscha said, so much so she barely noticed when Eda put a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“Look at me, kid.”</p><p>Luz realized Eda was speaking to her and looked up at her face. Eda was staring at her with gentle gold eyes, and her expression was so motherly Luz felt herself slowly begin to choke up. All of a sudden the weight of the entire Greek world seemed placed on her shoulders, but with Eda staring at her, it felt a little less heavy.</p><p>“You do have a choice,” Eda said to her reassuringly, and Luz tilted her head in confusion. Shooting her a smile and exposing her gold tooth, Eda continued. “You don’t need to accept the other half of the prophecy. You’re allowed to look out for yourself if you need to. If this seems too much, you can take a moment to breathe.”</p><p>While Eda’s words were reassuring, all it said to Luz was that she needed to do this. Amity was in trouble, and Luz could do something to help. She could be the one to accept the other half of the prophecy and help when she couldn’t do it on her own.</p><p>“I know what I have to do,” Luz insisted to Eda, whose smile turned into a grin.</p><p>“I knew you were a troublemaker,” she said, and Luz returned the grin with one of her own. She turned to her two friends on either side, looking at them hopefully.</p><p>“What do you think guys? Will you help me?”</p><p>Gus split into his own smile, gripping his retracted spear and waving it like a flag. “Action-packed trials? I’ll get to stab my spear? The possibility of becoming traumatized? I’m in!”</p><p>Luz chuckled, turning her head to meet Willow’s gaze. She looked troubled, and Luz gripped her shoulder.</p><p>“I know you and Amity don’t have the best history together, and I don’t know if I could do this without you, but I understand if you don’t want to come.”</p><p>Willow shook her head. “No chance. You and Gus need somebody around to keep you out of trouble. I’m in.”</p><p>Eda and Lilith shared a glance, before nodding to one another. Slamming her fist against the head table, the camp quieted as Lilith once again regained control of the crowd.</p><p>“Campers! We without a doubt need a quest to save both Hestia and Amity from the clutches of Achilles and the man in the mountain. Boscha has nominated Luz Noceda, of the Hermes cabin. Will anyone second this call and support this demigod as the leader of this quest?”</p><p>There was quiet, and Luz got nervous again. She was a new camper, and she was sure anybody else could easily take Luz’s place and probably be just as experienced. But before that happened, Viney stepped forward, shooting Luz a smile.</p><p>“The Hermes cabin vouches for Luz Noceda!”</p><p>Warmth spread through Luz when her half-sister backed her up, and it must have shown on her face because Viney shot her a wink. Eda stepped forward at that nodding.</p><p>“Then Luz Noceda will receive her prophesy from Barcus and choose her two companions.”</p><p>“I chose Willow and Gus,” Luz said without missing a beat. Despite the unconventional choice to announce this before she received the prophecy, Luz just knew in her heart that she couldn’t do this quest without them. Eda shrugged, and while Lilith opened her mouth like she might argue, Barcus interrupted her before she could.</p><p>“Shall we go somewhere more quiet to hear the prophecy?” He asked Luz, and she nodded slowly. The two left the pavilion and sat behind the columns very close to where Luz and Amity had talked the night of the skeleton attack. Luz pushed that terrible memory aside, trying to focus.</p><p>“The prophecy will flow through me whenever you’re ready,” Barcus said calmly. “It may be startling, but you must pay attention because I will not say it again. I don’t remember any prophesy after I recite it.”</p><p>Luz nodded, clenching her fists in determination. “Ok. I’m ready.”</p><p>Barcus nodded and closed his eyes, and when he opened them, instead of being blue his eyes glower purple. Luz jumped but remembered she was supposed to stay calm and focus. When he spoke, it sounded raspy, like it was coming from a totally different person.</p><p>
  <em>“But with wisdom and life, the merchant travels and meets</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The fallen heroes home, where they lose all their speech</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It takes four to escape, and release the goddess caged</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As a group restore peace, and dawn a new age.”</em>
</p><p>Luz absorbed this diligently, though her brain was whirling with what the words might mean. When he finished, Barcus closed his eyes again, and he stumbled when they opened again, back to their regular blue. Luz reached out and grab his arm to steady him.</p><p>“Thanks,” Barcus said with a shaky exhale. “Did you hear everything ok?”</p><p>Luz nodded quickly. “Yes, and I have like, a hundred questions.”</p><p>Barcus laughed. “That’s pretty on-brand for prophecies. Most of the time they don’t make a lot of sense. Let’s head back out.”</p><p>“Can I share the prophecy with everyone?” Luz asked, and Barcus nodded.</p><p>“If you’d like, it’s up to you.”</p><p>When Luz regrouped with her friends, everybody was still waiting anxiously. Most of the campers had been dispersed, but her friends, Eda, Lilith, Viney, and Jerbo still stuck around. Luz noted that Boscha was missing, likely gone to check on Skara in the infirmary.</p><p>Luz met her friends at the front with Eda and Lilith, and King sat down at Luz’s feet, tilting his head happily when Luz scratched behind his ears. Luz didn’t have any particular quarrels against telling them what she’d heard, so she recited it back to them to the best of her ability. She felt like she had gotten most if not all of it right.</p><p>“Well,” Eda said with a smug smile when Luz finished. “This was definitely you’re prophecy. Hermes is the god of merchants.”</p><p>“And Gus and Willow and good choices,” Lilith added. “Athena and Demeter could easily be “wisdom” and “life”.”</p><p>The three friends beamed at each other at that, and Gus shot Luz a high five.</p><p>“Restoring peace certainly sounds promising, too,” Viney added with a smile, and Jerbo shot them a thumbs up.</p><p>“Not to point out the weird thing, but losing our speech doesn’t sound too great,” Willow said nervously, and Eda shook her head.</p><p>“Prophesies are tricky like that. You shouldn’t take them at face value. For all we know, it could mean something as simple as catching a cold and losing your voice.”</p><p>“Regardless, you should be on guard,” Lilith said, and Luz noticed how tired she was looking. She remembered that Amity had been a camper she trained quite often. She figured she must be quite worried about her. “Trust nobody but yourselves, and try to get there as quickly and seamlessly as you can.”</p><p>“Speaking of being on your guard,” Eda added, shooting Luz a look. “You still have my buzzer, kid?”</p><p>Luz nodded, taking it out of her pocket. It had sat there ever since she forgot to return it the night of the skeleton attack. As she went to give it back, Eda held up her hand.</p><p>“Keep it. You kids are tough, but you never know what you’ll find out there.”</p><p>Luz hesitated, looking at Eda with wide eyes. “Are you sure?”</p><p>Eda just chuckled, ruffling Luz’s hair.</p><p>“There’s nothing wrong with being as prepared as you can be. It’s getting late, and we need to hurry. Now go back to your cabins and pack. You leave at dawn tomorrow morning.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Twins Get Us a Way Out of New York</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, Hello! I am back with a new chapter and the first day of Luz's quest! Thank you to everyone who leaves a comment or a kudos, it truly makes my day and helps give me the motivation to pump out these chapters. I cannot get over the overwhelming support for my stupid idea I fantasied up. We passed 1500 hits recently and were almost at 150 kudos and I truly cannot believe that. I cannot thank you guys enough for your support. </p>
<p>I hope you guys enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz thankfully didn’t have any nightmares before she left. She woke up nice and early, changing into her clothes she wore right before she came to camp. The cat hoodie felt nice and comforting, and it was a lot more lowkey than the bright orange camp shirt. She packed her toiletries and a change of clothes in her backpack and tucked away her wallet and phone. She left her sketchbook in the chest, figuring she wouldn’t have tons of time to use it anyway.</p>
<p>Viney and Jerbo saw her off before she went to meet Willow and Gus. </p>
<p>“How are you feeling, Luz?” Viney asked her, and Luz shrugged her shoulders.</p>
<p>“I had real sleep for the first time in two weeks, so I think I’m off to a good start.”</p>
<p>Thankfully, the two of them laughed. Luz felt a smile pull at her own lips. She had already found this whole camp to be like a second home to her, the first real place she belonged. Her new siblings were a part of that, and she was going to miss them on her quest.</p>
<p>“We wanted to give you something,” Viney said softly, keeping her voice down. “Hopefully it will help you on your quest.”</p>
<p>Jerbo reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small leather pouch, handing it gently to Luz. She took it and went to open it, before being stopped by both their hands being held out quickly.</p>
<p>“Not here!” Jerbo exclaimed, and Luz retreated quickly. He exhaled and tilted his head, giving Luz a smile. “These are a bag of Hermes pocket pranks. If you’re ever in a pinch, just throw them out and run. It should buy you some time.”</p>
<p>Luz was touched by the gesture, looking up at her siblings, her eyes misting with emotion. Viney just grinned, wrapping her arm around Luz’s neck.</p>
<p>“You’re one of us troublemakers now, so you get access to all of our secrets.”</p>
<p>Luz made a squeak of excitement. “I love secrets!”</p>
<p>“Just try not to get yourself killed on this quest,” Jerbo said with a sly smile. “We don’t get new sisters all that often, we don’t want to have to replace you.”</p>
<p>“You just don’t want to have your own bunk again,” Luz teased, and her siblings both laughed again.</p>
<p>“Take care of yourself, Luz,” Viney said, and she nodded, promising them she would see them again when this was all over.</p>
<p>She pocketed the leather pouch and headed up to the top of Half-Blood Hill. She took in the peaceful smells and sounds as she left, her stomach turning anxiously as she realized she probably wouldn’t be back here for some time. When she got to the top of the hill, Willow and Gus were waiting for her, along with Eda, Lilith, and King.</p>
<p>Willow had changed into a pastel yellow sweatshirt with dark orange sleeves. A white collar was poking out underneath it, her camp necklace likely tucked underneath it. She had grey vertical striped pants and calf-high brown boots, and there was a grey backpack slung over her shoulder. Her sword was strapped to her belt, and when she saw Luz she waved, tucking a strand of her hair behind her glasses.</p>
<p>Gus was wearing a long-sleeved grey shirt under a teal button-up. His spear (which was retracted to being less than a foot long) was clipped to his belt around a pair of dark blue jeans and ankle-high brown boots. Luz could see his camp necklace resting over his shirt, and she also noticed that he had a new watch on his wrist Luz had never seen before. It had a brown leather strap that went well with his boots like he’d coordinated the outfit. He had his own black backpack that was so stuffed with stuff it stuck out like a turtle shell.</p>
<p>“Good morning, Luz,” Willow said as she approached them, and Gus waved his own hand excitedly.</p>
<p>“Ready to go save Olympus?” He said with a smile, and Luz tilted her head with a playful smile.</p>
<p>“Maybe I won’t have too, I think you’ve packed enough stuff to do the job on your own.”</p>
<p>“It’s always good to be prepared,” Gus said seriously, making Luz laugh.</p>
<p>“Speaking of prepared…” Luz said, looking back at Eda and Lilith. “I don’t have a lot of money left. I don’t know how we’re going to get across the country and to Colorado.”</p>
<p>“I gave the responsible kid a pack of camp supplies,” Eda said, gesturing to Willow who pinked in embarrassment. “You should have three hundred dollars between you… some golden <em>drachma</em>, and I gave her some ambrosia and nectar too in case anything goes wrong.”</p>
<p>“I have asked some of the stables Pegasi to give you three a ride to Penn Station,” Lilith added, looking much more serious than Eda, who was grinning at the three of them like they were about to have the adventure of their lives. Which they probably were.</p>
<p>“Luz, will you finish this quest soon so we can spend the rest of the summer together?” King asked, running up to him to sit at her feet. Luz chuckled and leaned down to pet him, which he pretended not to enjoy.</p>
<p>“Sure, King. But it won’t be until after I’m done battling monsters and saving Olympus.”</p>
<p>“Maybe I can come!” He said looking up at Luz hopefully. “Eda and I have destroyed hundreds of monsters together before. Why not go another round?”</p>
<p>“No King, this is her quest,” Eda said. “Three is the lucky number, and the ancient laws would argue the safest number of companions.”</p>
<p>A slow smile started to spread on her face, and Luz immediately knew Eda was about to bend some rules. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t get in on the action once in a while…”</p>
<p>Eda reached around her neck and pulled a bronze whistle off of a chain, handing it to Luz. When she took it tentatively, King squealed in excitement.</p>
<p>“If you ever need a hand, just blow this,” Eda said to Luz, winking at her. “King will hear it from wherever you are. But it’ll only work one time, so don’t waste it.”</p>
<p>Luz didn’t really understand why that would help if they were across the country, but Eda had never let her down before, so she took it with a smile.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Eda.”</p>
<p>She just huffed and waved her off. “Thank you, kid. You’re the one heading off on the dangerous quest to save Olympus.”</p>
<p>“Speaking of leaving, those Pegasi should be here by now,” Lilith added, pinching her brow nervously. “Maybe I should go check on them…”</p>
<p>“No need Lilith!”</p>
<p>The group turned, and Luz blinked in surprise when she saw the Blight twins standing on the edge of the hill. They both had their signature crooked smiles on their faces like they were up to something, but Luz thought that despite their efforts to stay cool and composed they looked a little rattled.</p>
<p>Emira’s hair was pulled back and she was wearing a little makeup, but it looked like she had covered up under her eyes with more concealer than usual. Edric’s hair was ruffled, and he also looked like he hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep.</p>
<p>“We dismissed the Pegasus, and found a faster way to get Luz and her friends to Colorado.” Emira finished, and Eda and Lilith shared a look.</p>
<p>“Why would you do that without asking one of us first,” Lilith said slowly, and Luz exchanged glances with Willow and Gus who were now looking nervous.</p>
<p>“Because the quicker they get to Boulder, the faster they find Amity,” Edric replied quickly, and Luz noticed that Emira’s eyes were locked onto the sky.</p>
<p>“We asked our mom last night to help on your quest,” Emira continued, and this shocked Luz. Their mom Aphrodite? Just by the way Eda, Lilith, and her friends were looking at them in surprise, Luz figured this was a big request out of the love goddess.</p>
<p>“She said she would send help to the pine tree at dawn,” Edric finished.</p>
<p>“The gods are not supposed to interfere with mortal business,” Eda said in wonder. “You must have given her some offering for such a request.”</p>
<p>She was watching the twins carefully, and Luz figured she knew why. It was near impossible to ever tell what the twins were thinking. While she didn’t think they would trick her with her sister's life on the line, Luz wasn’t one hundred percent sure they didn’t have another motive up their sleeve.</p>
<p>“Amity is our little sister,” Emira said impatiently. “We bicker and fight, but at the end of the day, we have to look out for her and do everything we can to help. Our mom promised she would get Luz and her friends going at a god’s speed.”</p>
<p>Eda and Lilith winced.</p>
<p>“You better hope she doesn’t mean that literally,” Eda whispered to them. “That would peel the skin right off your face.”</p>
<p>Willow and Gus shared a panicked look. The twins must have been able to tell that this wasn’t exactly reassuring to them, and looked crestfallen. Luz felt a pang of guilt and could tell they were only trying to help. So, she steeled her expression and tried to sound optimistic.</p>
<p>“Hey, if we’re going to be getting help from an actual goddess, that has to be a good omen,” Luz said encouragingly. A thought struck her, and she genuinely smiled. “Maybe she’ll send us a flying car or something, like from the Harry Potter books!”</p>
<p>“I think it might be that chariot actually…” Eda said, pointing up at the sky.</p>
<p>Luz looked up and gasped, her mouth dropping open. Flying down towards the pine tree she caught a glimpse of a massive golden chariot with silver and bronze etchings twisting along the sides of it. But what shocked Luz wasn’t just how it was probably worth more than her and her mom’s entire apartment complex in Manhattan, but that it wasn’t being pulled by Pegasi. It was being pulled by a dozen beautiful white doves.</p>
<p>“Look at all that gold!” King squealed loudly, and Eda shushed him with a stern finger.</p>
<p>The chariot landed right next to the pine tree, Eda and Lilith straightened up in shock.</p>
<p>“Holy Zeus, kids,” Eda said to the Blight twins, who were also standing there shell shocked. “That must have been some prayer.”</p>
<p>“That’s Aphrodite’s chariot,” Lilith said in awe.</p>
<p>“But Aphrodite hasn’t lent her chariot to heroes in centuries,” Gus said in awe, and without even realizing they had done it, the trio and the Blight Twins had walked to the chariot and were close enough to touch it. “The last demigod who was fabled to ride it was Aeneas when he fled Troy.”</p>
<p>One of the doves, who seemed to be commanding the chariot, cooed at Luz and blinked its eyes at her. Luz stepped forward gently and the dove flew towards her, settling itself on her palm. She reached out and gently stroked it, and it cooed again and closed its eyes in delight.</p>
<p>“You better get on,” Eda said, eyeing it distrustfully. “It’s not wise to keep a goddess waiting, especially when you’re borrowing her chariot.”</p>
<p>Luz gently lowered the dove and it chirped, heading back to the head of the reins. “Alright, let’s go. We have a long way to Colorado.”</p>
<p>She stepped on the back of the chariot first. There was plenty of room for her and Gus and Willow to sit on it, and even sleep if they needed to. It was way bigger than she thought it was originally like the chariot was meant to hold a giant. Luz began to wonder just how big the gods were. There was a step ladder in the back that Luz imagines was added for the three new human riders, so when she climbed it she could see over the edge of the chariot.</p>
<p>Willow seemed uncertain, but Luz extended her hand with a smile, and Willow sighed and took it, getting into the chariot and taking a seat near the front. Gus boarded next with a much less hesitant smile, clearly excited to be on something that was so important to a goddess.</p>
<p>Luz grabbed the reins, which were so thick she had to just pray she would be able to pull them. As she turned around to say goodbye, she locked eyes with the Blight twins, who were still so shell shocked at what had just happened they didn’t know what to do with themselves, which was a first. Luz shot them the most confident smile she could manage.</p>
<p>“Thanks for the ride, you guys. I’ll find Amity, I promise.”</p>
<p>That seemed to shake them out of their surprise. They exchanged a look, before nodding and smiling back at Luz.</p>
<p>“We know you will,” Edric said.</p>
<p>“If you need any help at all, send us an Iris message,” Emira added, and Luz didn’t know what they were talking about, but Willow seemed to, and she nodded.</p>
<p>“We will. We’ll send one to camp when we find her too.”</p>
<p>That seemed to put the twins and ease, and they stepped back to let them take off. Luz was going to tug on the reins, but it seemed like she didn’t have to and the doves responded to her like they’d read her mind, lifting the chariot off the ground and slowly building up speed for a full take off.</p>
<p>As Luz turned back to look at camp one more time, she locked eyes with Eda, who was watching her wistfully. Luz waved with her right hand, and Eda smiled.</p>
<p>“Good luck, kid. May the gods be with you!”</p>
<p>The last look of camp Luz got was Owlbert cooing on her shoulder, and the pine tree on Half-blood Hill before she was jerked against the side of the chariot, letting out a loud cry of surprise as the chariot accelerated so fast Luz lost all control of her bearings. She heard Willow and Gus cry out in alarm next to her, and felt Willow grab her arm while she scrambled to keep her hands on the reins before the chariot gave another massive lurch, and they were shooting through the sky at a speed that would have given her Mami a heart attack.</p>
<p>“This is definitely faster than a Pegasus!” Luz yelled in alarm, and she saw Gus, who was on the other side of the chariot and grabbing the sides of it in terror, nod.</p>
<p>“We’re already out of sight of camp!” He yelled, and Luz noticed that his face was getting pale. She prayed to every god she could think of that he wouldn’t throw up. She figured Aphrodite wouldn’t be too happy about having demigod vomit in the chariot she graciously let them borrow.</p>
<p>“Where are we even going?” Willow asked next to her. She seemed to be doing a lot better than Gus in the motion sickness department, but she was using the hand that wasn’t wrapped around Luz’s arm to keep a tight grip on her glasses.</p>
<p>Luz thought that was a pretty stupid question, but considering they were flying through the sky at speeds that felt faster than most airplanes, she got why Willow was panicking. “I don’t know! I didn’t ask the doves to go anywhere they just took off on their own!”</p>
<p>“Aphrodite will have some plan for the chariot,” Gus said reassuringly. “If Emira and Edric prayed to her, then she’ll know where Amity is and what our mission is. We just have to trust that we’ll get there!”</p>
<p>So the three of them had no choice but to wait. They ended up being able to move closer to the front of the chariot by shuffling along the sides and wedging their way between the step stool and the curved sides, sitting together in a close huddle while the chariot rocked and shook in the wind. While they did eventually realize that the chariot was pretty steady and that they didn’t have to hold the chariot to not fly out, they kept their grip on each other’s arms.</p>
<p>“So what’s our strategy?” Luz asked the two of them when they all seemed calm enough to talk. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since they left camp, maybe an hour or two? Regardless, they needed to know what to do when the chariot would inevitably land and take them no further.</p>
<p>“We were supposed to take the Pegasi to Penn Station and then take a train as far west as we could,” Gus said, his brow furrowed with thought. “I guess we’ll need to figure out exactly where we are when we land and then find the nearest bus or train west.”</p>
<p>“Ideally, we figure out how to make sure we aren’t being tracked by monsters,” Willow added. “Now that we’ve left camp, our scent as a group will be strong. We need to blend in with the mortals and stay inconspicuous.”</p>
<p>Luz was glad the two of them had come with her. She wouldn’t know which way was up without them, never mind how to complete a quest as dire as this one. Gus had the strategy, while Willow was sensible and calming. Plus, they worked well as a team. Luz tried to always stay optimistic, but right now she didn’t need to. She knew that the three of them together were a great team.</p>
<p>“Let’s stick to our strengths,” Gus said, slamming his fist confidently into his other palm. “If we try and camp in the forests, Willow can use plant magic to protect us from monsters that try and get in. I’m pretty good at detecting monsters in a crowd, so I’ll keep an eye out when we're in public spaces.”</p>
<p>“What about me?” Luz said with a frown, starting to worry that she would be the weak point in the group. “The only thing I can do is cheer us on.”</p>
<p>“That’s all we <em>know</em> you can do right now,” Gus said pointedly.</p>
<p>“He’s right, Luz,” Willow said comfortingly, putting a hand on her arm. “Hermes is the god of more than just orators.”</p>
<p>“Maybe you’re a really good pickpocket!” Gus said with a smile, but Luz’s frown just deepened.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to steal, Gus. That’s wrong.”</p>
<p>“If it’s to save our lives it can’t be that bad…” He retorted, but Luz shook her head stubbornly.</p>
<p>“Alright let’s move away from stealing,” Willow said, ending that conversation. “The point is that Hermes has always been kind of a jack of all trades when it comes to magic and abilities. You’re pretty good with your sword, so if we run into trouble and we have to fight, you should lead us.”</p>
<p>She didn’t know how to feel about that. “Lead? But you guys are way more experienced than I am. Don’t you think it’s better if one of you take charge?”</p>
<p>“It’s your quest, Luz,” Gus pointed out. “If Willow and I didn’t trust you to lead us, we wouldn’t be here.”</p>
<p>Luz opened her mouth in surprise and looked back and forth between her friends. She was so moved by what Gus had said, and the expression on Willow and Gus’s faces, she wasn’t sure what to say.</p>
<p>A sudden jerk of the chariot cut off whatever conversation they could have. The trio yelped in surprise as the chariot made a sudden jerk left, and Luz’s heart leaped in her chest as it made a quick drop in the sky.</p>
<p>“What’s happening!” Luz exclaimed, keeping a tight grip on the stepstool to see if she could look over the chariot.</p>
<p>“I think we’re landing!” Gus called back, and Luz felt her fingers tighten against the stepstool as the chariot made another jerk. She heard Willow and Gus once again make alarmed noises below her, and she looked down quickly to see them hanging on tightly to the bottom leg of the stool.</p>
<p>Luz pushed herself forward and climbed, finally managing to look over the edge of the chariot. Her eyes widened in shock. The doves were, in fact, preparing to land, and in the distance Luz could see a huge bridge spanning over a river, leading into a city skyline she could see in the late morning sun. She had never been outside New York, so she wasn’t quite sure where she was, but she didn’t have time to think about it before the chariot jerked again and they began a descent into a forest outside the city.  </p>
<p>The trio watched as the chariot landed in a safe nesting of trees. The second it touched the ground, Luz, Willow, and Gus raced off, all sighing in relief when their feet touched the ground.</p>
<p>Willow was the first one to gather her bearings. “Where are we?”</p>
<p>Luz told her and Gus about the city they’d flown over, and the forest they’d landed in. When she finished, Gus hummed.</p>
<p>“Well we’ve gone a significant distance west, I bet that chariot was just as fast as an airplane. But I doubt we’ve made it all the way to Colorado, based on what you told us.”</p>
<p>Luz noticed the doves pulling the chariot ruffling their feathers like they were considering taking off. She gave Willow and Gus a wistful smile.</p>
<p>“But it won’t take us any farther. That’s why it dropped us here.”</p>
<p>So Luz walked over to them, and held out her hand for the lead dove, stroking its feathers again.</p>
<p>“Thank you for the ride,” Luz said earnestly. “We’ll figure the rest out from here.”</p>
<p>The dove cooed and flew out of Luz’s hand. She and her friends watched as the chariot ascended back into the sky, and disappeared. Luz watched it go with a smile on her face, Willow and Gus staring in awe one more time after it.</p>
<p>“Thank you for treating the doves so kindly. My lady will be pleased.”</p>
<p>The three of them jumped at the sudden voice behind them, and out of instinct they all drew their weapons and pointed them.</p>
<p>Standing a few feet away from them was a woman who couldn’t be older than twenty. She was skinny and small, not that much taller than Luz, wearing a flowy green skirt and a cropped white shirt. She had shiny light brown hair that flowed gracefully to the small of her back, and her head was wrapped in a wreath of flowers, in varying shades of white, yellow, and blue. Her green eyes sparkled humorously at them like she found the idea of being threatened cute.</p>
<p>Behind her, there was a little cabin that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. It was cute and made out of stones, with a chimney billowing smoke. There were flowers of all varying colors and sizes outside and a sign above the door that simply just read “The Flower Shop” in flowing elegant cursive.</p>
<p>“Stand down, little heroes. I don’t mean to harm you.”</p>
<p>Luz tensed at that, the way she said that reminded her a little too much of the man in the mountain. The woman seemed to sense that because she turned her head to eye Luz sympathetically.</p>
<p>“You poor thing, you could use a good cup of Chamomile tea.”</p>
<p>Luz wasn’t sure if she was being insulted or not, and she gripped the hilt of her blade tighter. But before she could say anything, she felt a firm hand on her sword arm, and Gus slowly lowered her blade.</p>
<p>“It’s alright, Luz. She isn’t an enemy,” he said quietly, and Luz looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Next to Gus, Willow had also lowered her sword and was now watching the woman with undisguised excitement.</p>
<p>“How do we know that?” Luz asked, but the tone of her voice was now more confused than tense.</p>
<p>“My apologies, I have not introduced myself,” the woman said with a light smile, extending her hands out to look at the three of them.</p>
<p>“I am Antheia, the goddess of flowers. My lady told me to expect you here today.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. I Kill the National Bird for a Flower Crown</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, hello! I am back with another chapter. I quite enjoyed writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it!</p><p>Hope everyone is doing ok in these crazy times. Stay safe and take a break if you need it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz thought Antheia’s flower shop was lovely. It reminded her of those cottages her Mami had always wanted to buy in Vermont. The walls were made of stone and wood planks, all the décor was set in earthy neutrals, and there was a roaring fire stirring some kind of delicious stew.</p><p>Luz and her friends were instructed delicately by Antheia to sit in her living room on the soft plush couches. It was behind the cash register and check out, which Luz thought was an odd layout but knew better than to comment on it. Antheia waved her hand around the coffee table and a cup of tea and a tray of cookies appeared out of thin air. Once Luz got over her shock, she helped herself to them eagerly. The tea was perfect: and it was chamomile just like Antheia had said she’d needed. Antheia sat with them, watching them eat and drink with that same easy-going smile on her face.</p><p>The place was covered with flowers from head to toe. Some of them Luz recognized, like the pansies in the open window or the tulips (she was pretty sure it wasn’t tulip season) in the hanging basket in the living room. But there were other flowers she had never seen before, and quite frankly, she would have noticed if they did exist. There was an array of what looked like gold roses, a bucket of bronze hawthoria, and on the windowsill… it looked like a group of silver sprouts.</p><p>“Is that moonlace?” Willow awed, peeking over Luz’s shoulder for a better look.</p><p>Antheia smiled at Willow. “Always nice to meet a demigod with an interest in the beauty of flowers. Yes, before Ogygia was abandoned I went there myself to bring a few samples of moonlace back here. It’s incredibly rare.”</p><p>“It’s incredibly beautiful…” Willow sighed, clasping her hands together.</p><p>“Are you a child of Aphrodite, dear?” She asked Willow, who shook her head.</p><p>“Demeter.”</p><p>“Ah, just as lovely,” Antheia said eagerly. “Her children have always been fond of my gifts.”</p><p>“This is a lovely shop, my lady,” Gus started, but Antheia tisked gently and waved her hand.</p><p>“No need for formalities, Augustus. I am in your debt. You are here to do me a great service.”</p><p>Luz looked at Willow and Gus uncertainly, and Gus seemed taken aback. He gently set his tea down on the table.</p><p>“Pardon me, Antheia,” he said slowly, “what do you mean by a ‘great service’?”</p><p>The goddess looked momentarily taken aback before the smile quickly returned to her face. “Oh, of course, you wouldn’t have been told the full details, after all, I only heard this morning that you would be coming, so there was always a chance you were too preoccupied to put the pieces together.”</p><p>Luz looked at her friends again, but before she could open her mouth to comment that perhaps Antheia was mistaken, she had kept going.“My lady always did put her faith in the best kind of demigods, you know. After all, this problem has been going on for so long, and without my sisters to help me, I fear I would be too outmatched on my own.”</p><p>Luz was a little dense, but she realized what was happening the moment Antheia spun her hand and her cup of tea refilled.</p><p>“Aphrodite offered out services in exchange for the ride,” she said, and Antheia placed a gentle hand on Luz’s shoulders. The gesture immediately filled her with a feeling of warmth she hadn’t felt in so long. Her Mami’s trust, the love of her new friendships at camp, the home she now came to love. There was something else there too, but she couldn’t quite place it. The gesture immediately put her at ease, and she sunk into the couch cushions.</p><p>“You need not feign surprise to appease me, child.” She said soothingly, and Luz’s ear tickled as she spoke into it. “I am one of the Graces, an attendant to the goddess of love. I stand for the love and growth of humanity, both flowers and human love itself. I know that a group of kind and compassionate adventurers like yourselves would help me regardless of if you owe my lady. My lady knows this too, or she would not have answered the prayers of her children.”</p><p>Luz knew that she and her friends were on a tight schedule, and Antheia knew that too, because now she turned to Gus and Willow, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. Like Luz, they seemed to lean right into the touch, enamored.</p><p>“I know you are heroes on a noble quest. Lady Hestia is the fire of Olympus, and without her everything we hold dear will crumble. But my lady has bought you some time, so surely one side stop on your way won’t be too troublesome? In exchange, I will give you something to help with your adventure.”</p><p>Luz didn’t like the sound of everything she knew crumbling, but when she looked and her friends she knew their hands were tied. This was the deal the Blight twins had made with their mother, whether they had known it at the time or not. Luz and her friends would have to deal with the consequences.“Alright,” she said, though it wasn’t as confident as she would have liked it to be. “What can we do for you, Lady Antheia?”</p><p>She walked to the window, and Luz and her friends hesitantly looked up out it.</p><p>“I have stationed myself here, in Mt. Airy Forest,” she said, gesturing to the deep wood. “It is peaceful, but it is not without its pests. I cannot leave my cabin for long as long as the eagle roams the forest.”</p><p>“You want us to kill an eagle?” Luz blinked, shuffling nervously. “I’m pretty sure that’s against the law.”</p><p>“This is no ordinary eagle,” Antheia said seriously. “This eagle has plagued legends for centuries, and my sisters and I fear it deeply. I would like them to come to visit, but they will not unless this beast is destroyed.”</p><p>“The Caucasian Eagle,” Gus said, and Luz spun around to look at him. His voice had risen in pitch, and he looked very nervous. “But it hasn’t been seen in thousands of years!”</p><p>“It has returned, and I fear why,” Antheia confirmed. “It was not by the will of Zeus, and therefore it must be destroyed.”</p><p>“You want us to kill a <em>white</em> eagle?” Now Luz was really confused.</p><p>Willow nudged her shoulder seriously, and Luz quieted. Antheia opened the door for them, and the three demigods headed towards it, drawing their weapons. <em>Aletheia</em> shifted into its sword form, shimmering in the light of the shop.</p><p>“The eagle is likely up now, if you destroy it soon, you will be on your way long before the evening hits. If you return, I will have a reward ready for your great service.”</p><p>She all but slammed the door behind the three half-bloods, and now that Luz wasn’t all doved up with love magic, she scowled.</p><p>“I’m going to kill Edric and Emira when we get back.”</p><p>“If the eagle doesn’t tear us to shreds first,” Willow said slowly, gripping her sword tightly.</p><p>“It’s not going to be an easy kill,” Gus said quietly, fiddling with his spear. “The Caucasian Eagle was the one sent by Zeus to torture Prometheus. Hercules killed it with a volley of arrows. We’re short on those, so we’ll have to find some other way to get it to come close to us.”</p><p>The three of them paced around the forest outside the flower shop, keeping their eyes open for an eagle. But it was quiet on the forest floor, and after almost twenty-minute had passed, Luz was about ready to give up.</p><p>“I don’t see this stupid bird anywhere!” Luz groaned, lying down on the grass.</p><p>“Luz, be ready,” Gus hissed, looking around nervously. “We don’t know when it’s going to show itself.”</p><p>“Well, it hasn’t yet,” Luz shrugged. “Are we sure it’s even around here?”A deafening screech quieted her immediately, and Luz shot up, clenching her sword in her hand in terror. Out of the trees shot a massive bronze eagle, easily with a wingspan of at least ten feet wide. It came soaring down towards Luz, and out of pure instinct she swung, and the bird shrieked, spinning back up towards the sky.  </p><p>“Holy Zeus that’s a big bird!” Gus yelped, and he reached over to his watch and clicked it. Out expanded a bronze shield almost identical to the one he’d used during capture the flag. When the bird came rearing back towards him with its massive talons, he deflected them off his shield and Willow stabbed with her sword, and the beast spun, narrowly dodging.</p><p>“What do we do?” Willow yelled, and Luz ran to regroup with her friends. The bird soared above them, cawing in fury, and Luz quickly began to feel overwhelmed. It could easily carry off one of them in its talons, and they were sharp enough to cut one of them open right there.</p><p>“We need to damage its wings so it can’t fly!” Gus said, just before the beast lunged again. Luz rolled right, slashing up with her sword towards it right as its talons snatched right where she had just been standing. She yelped in pain as the edge of one talon scrapped over her shoulder as she rolled, drawing blood. Once again, the bird managed to dodge both Gus’s stab and Willow’s slash, soaring back into the sky.</p><p>They tried, but every time the bird lunged, it would spin and dodge their strikes to its wings. Over and over again, the bird would dive, and they would barely manage to clip feathers. Gus kept insisting they had to hit the wings, but there was no way to do it with the bird getting the height on them. It was starting to feel hopeless.</p><p>Then, on one tough lunge, the talon had managed to scrape by Willow’s leg and knock her off her feet. Willow cried out in pain, grasping for it as it bled profusely onto the forest floor, and Luz and Gus slashed angrily to get the eagle away as it soared back into the sky.</p><p>They ran to Willow, trying to give her cover. She was trembling next to Gus, clearly trying hard not to cry. The slash was long and deep, and Luz knew just by looking at it she would need stitches.</p><p>The bird was circling again, waiting to try and pick them off one by one. Luz felt her despair quickly turn to rage. It might have been the pain in her shoulder or the overall frustration with the way their mission had gotten sidetracked, but Luz was getting angry, and when she got angry, she got loud.</p><p>“Hey, you stupid bird brain!” She yelled, putting a little distance between herself and Willow. “Over here!”</p><p>The eagle cawed angrily, and suddenly, Luz had a plan. She turned her body so she was facing Gus, and waved her sword up at the bird.</p><p>“Come and get me!”</p><p>“Luz, what are you doing?” Gus hissed, clutching his spear uncertainly.</p><p>“Trust me!” She just said, pointing her sword back up at the bird.</p><p> The eagle spun in the air, it’s sharp eyes pointing toward her furiously. It tucked back its wings, ready to dive.</p><p>“Get ready!” She yelled to Gus, and right as the bird was about to make contact with her, she screamed, “Now!”</p><p>There was a clang and a crash as the talons of the bird connected against Luz’s sword, and she pushed desperately to keep the bird steady. Then, the bird screamed, rearing back in agony as Gus stabbed right into its back with his spear, and it let go of Luz’s sword in an effort the fly away. But Luz was quicker, and she lunged, cutting right across the bird’s neck with <em>Aletheia</em>, and the bird quieted, dissolving into dust around her feet.</p><p>Luz collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. Gus stumbled backward and sheathed his spear, walking over to Luz and helping her up. Luz winced, remembering the pain in her shoulder, but a cry from behind Gus quickly halted all her own pain at that moment.</p><p>“Willow!”</p><p>Luz and Gus kneeled around their injured friend, who was clutching her leg. When she looked up at their faces, she feigned a confident smile. “I’ll be fine, it’s not even broken…”</p><p>“Willow this is a deep cut,” Luz said seriously. She knew that her Mami would recommend a hospital. It was deep and still bleeding, and Willow’s hands were now covered in blood.</p><p>“It’s nothing nectar can’t fix,” Willow said certainly, and Gus walked around and reached into her backpack and pulled out a canteen from it, uncapping it and pouring some of the contents over the wound.</p><p>Luz had no idea what they were talking about and definitely didn’t think Gus should be putting that much water on an open wound. “Gus what are you-”</p><p>She closed her mouth at Willow’s happy sigh and watched in amazement as the wound began to close until all that remained was a white scar.</p><p>“Nectar,” Gus said to Luz with a smile, letting Willow drink a little from the canteen. She immediately perked up and stood, brushing the dirt off her pants. “Drink of the gods. It cures the wounds and illnesses of demigod’s but you can’t have too much or you’ll burn up.”</p><p>Luz didn’t like the sound of that, but Gus didn’t give her a choice. He walked over and poured some over the wound on her shoulder, and Luz felt a warmth flow through her body before he let her drink some. It tasted just like her Mami’s Sopa de Lima, which was strange since it looked just like apple juice.</p><p>All at once, Luz’s strength returned, and sure enough, when she looked the wound on her shoulder had disappeared. There wasn’t a scar left behind or anything. Even the scar from her game of capture the flag had disappeared.  </p><p>“Lighter wounds tend to vanish a lot faster,” Willow explained.</p><p>Gus closed the canteen and walked over to the remaining pile of eagle dust. Left behind was a pile of bronze feathers, and Gus scoped them up.</p><p>“One for each of us. Plus, we can give one to Antheia as proof of our kill.”</p><p>Each of them took a bronze feather, and Luz put hers carefully in her backpack, excited to add it to her slowly growing collection of war spoils.</p><p>The three of them headed back to the flower shop in much better spirits than when they left. Nobody had gotten hurt, and they still had plenty of time to get on a train or bus west.</p><p>“Mt. Airy is just outside Cincinnati,” Gus said with an excited smile. “We’ll be able to find a way west with no problems at all.”</p><p>“I don’t know, we’re pretty deep in the Midwest…” Willow said with a frown. “There won’t be many trains.”</p><p>“Whatever we have to do, we’ll make it work!” Luz said with a smile. “We just killed the white eagle-”</p><p>“Caucasian Eagle,” Gus corrected.</p><p>“Caucasian Eagle!” Luz repeated. “We can do anything.”</p><p>Sure enough, as they walked into the flower shop with the extra feather, Antheia greeted them with an enthusiastic welcome. She walked up and kissed each of them on the cheek, causing Gus and Luz to blush.</p><p>“Thank you, my heroes!” She said enthusiastically. “Now my sisters can visit me without being scared away by that hideous bird. My lady was right to favor you. Now, onto your reward…”</p><p>She waved her hand, and on their heads, they each received a flower crown, Willow’s adorned with green flowers, Gus with blue, and Luz with purple. They all cooed in excitement, reaching up to touch them.</p><p>“The crowns will wilt over time, but while you wear them you will have my blessing. In ancient times, the Greeks worshiped me for my gentleness and kindness. You will find that with those on your heads, people will treat you the same.”</p><p>“Lady Antheia, we are honored,” Willow said, and Luz was shocked by the kind gesture, reaching up to gently touch the flowers with her hand. She had been told the gods did not usually show themselves to mortals, but if any of them were half as kind as Antheia then Luz wondered why they were seen as so stoic. Even as they awed over her, Antheia was smiling kindly and waving her hand, like the reward was nothing to fuss over.</p><p>“Nonsense, I owe you children a great debt,” she said, and then she snapped her finger, remembering something.</p><p>“There is a man approaching in a car ready to take you to downtown Cincinnati,” she said with a smile. “He will do this free of charge, but you must not keep him waiting. I understand the seriousness of your quest, and though he is mortal, he will too.”</p><p>Luz and her friends all thanked Antheia, and they left her shop with her smiling from the door, waving a gentle hand.</p><p>“Good luck heroes, and oh, Luz?”</p><p>Luz turned her head while her friends kept walking, and Antheia shot her a knowing smile.</p><p>“Aphrodite has favored you above all others, especially on your quest, but your father has not forgotten you. Remember this on your journey.”</p><p>Luz blinked, wondering if Antheia could see through her more than she originally thought. Nodding she turned her head and followed Willow and Gus to the rocky dirt path where a yellow taxi was waiting for them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Magic Map Shows Me the Way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welcome back! I have a very meaty plot filled chapter for you guys tonight. I managed to pump it out pretty quickly, so I hope you enjoy it! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The taxi driver, who had told them that his name was Davide, was more than happy to lend them a ride into Cincinnati for free, just like Antheia promised. Despite the ride being longer than an hour, he insisted they not pay him. Feeling guilty, (Luz imagined his kindness was likely due to Antheia’s effect on people) she left a twenty in the backseat, hoping it would cover gas.</p><p>Luz had never been to Cincinnati before, and she didn’t get a ton of time to see much of it. The three of them rushed to the nearest train station, ducking inside and getting out of the street.</p><p>“Keep your voices down, and try to avoid talking about anything from… our world,” Gus said quietly to Luz. “It’s bad luck, and could send out signals to… things we would like to avoid.”</p><p>Luz suddenly remembered the phone in her backpack, and she wondered if she should have told Willow and Gus she brought it. The morning she left for her quest she had sent her Mami a text saying where she was going. She was likely working overtime during the day and wouldn’t read it until she got home, but she probably was going to have a lot of questions. She doubted she would buy that she had gone on a “field trip” with the rest of camp to Colorado Springs.</p><p>If even mentioning monsters could attract them, Luz was starting to feel paranoid about what having her phone might mean.</p><p>Willow had grabbed a route map off the wall and opened it, peering over her glasses at the options before her.</p><p>“We can either take a train or a bus. Regardless of which one we take, we have to stop in Indianapolis. The train will go to Chicago first and then Denver, but then we have a couple of options for busses…”</p><p>“The train sounds like it would be a lot of money,” Gus said, leaning over to look. “We can’t spend too much or we won’t have enough for a way back.”</p><p>“I don’t think we’ll have enough for the way back anyway,” Willow said, her mouth set in a firm line. “Especially if Amity is with us.”</p><p>Luz had been internally battling with if she should tell her friends about her phone, but something on the page caught her attention, and the thought completely slipped her mind. When she looked over at the map, the highlighted sections showing the routes were so bolded with color it’s like they stood out on the page. Luz blinked and leaned in. She didn’t understand why Willow and Gus were talking about money either. The prices were right there on the map, and they even showed the cheapest seats they could get highlighted in red.</p><p>The right course of action was obviously to take the next bus to Indianapolis and from there to Kansas City, before finally stopping in Denver. The map even said that the next train left in an hour at 2:00, and after that, the next bus would leave at 6:00.</p><p>“We should take this bus,” Luz said, pointing to the line with her finger. “The train leaves soon and they have four seats left. We can get the tickets for fifty bucks.”</p><p>Willow and Gus paused, looking over at Luz like they couldn’t understand.</p><p>“What?” Luz said, feeling her cheeks pink in embarrassment. “Did I say that in Spanish or something?” It wouldn’t have been the first time she’d gotten excited and done that.</p><p>“Luz, where are you seeing these prices?” Willow asked, turning the map over in her hands. “It just shows the routes.”</p><p>Luz shook her head in confusion. “They’re right here! Look, it’s one of the legends on the left side of the page.”</p><p>Willow and Gus’s mouths dropped open, and Luz’s stomach began to flip. She wondered if they were making fun of her.</p><p>“Luz, there’s no legend on the map,” Gus said seriously, and Luz felt herself begin to get frustrated. She took the map from Willow (maybe a little too quickly) and pushed through her friends walking further into the station.</p><p>“Look, I’ll show you what I mean.”</p><p>She walked up to the counter where there was a middle-aged man in a dark blue uniform standing there at the computer. He was hunched over his desk, drinking a coffee while looking at the screen. When he heard Luz approach, he didn’t even look towards her and away from his computer.</p><p>“What can I do for ya?” He said in a thick midwestern accent. Luz threw the map down on the counter and looked up at him.</p><p>“I need three 2:00 tickets to Denver with a stop in Kansas City.”</p><p>“Sorry, we’re sold out,” the man drawled, and Luz huffed in annoyance.</p><p>“No, you’re not! It says that you have four left right here,” Luz exclaimed, pointing down at the map.</p><p>“Watch your tone, kid,” the man grumbled, still not looking at Luz. “I don’t do this to deal with brats like you.”</p><p>“Excuse me?” Luz said, leaning forward angrily. She was not usually a violent person, but this man was really starting to piss her off. She had half a mind to draw <em>Aletheia</em> and scare the daylights out of him. Willow and Gus rushed forward, holding her by the shoulders.</p><p>“Just forget it, Luz,” Willow whispered firmly. “He’s not worth it.”</p><p>“No, it is not okay for him to talk to people like that!” Luz exclaimed angrily. “His job is to help people like us, not be rude. He won’t even turn away from his computer to look at me!”</p><p>“You want me to turn away from my computer?” The man said in annoyance, finally looking at Luz. The second his eyes met hers, he blinked, before collapsing into his chair. While he’d previously been hunched over, his back straightened and a calm, easy-going look passed over his face.</p><p>“I… I don’t remember what I was saying there. But my apologies for being rude,” he said, in a much softer tone. “Let me look into those tickets for you.” Luz relaxed her posture out of surprise, the anger leaving her body, and Gus chuckled under his breath.</p><p>“The flower crowns,” he whispered to them. “He’s compelled to be kinder.”</p><p>Luz, for what felt like the fiftieth time today, silently thanked Antheia. She really didn’t want to deal with annoying customers on top of Willow and Gus not being able to properly read the map.</p><p>The man turned back to his computer, typing for just a moment before turning back to them with a nod.</p><p>“You are correct, I do have four tickets available for 2:00 to Denver, with stops in Indianapolis and Kansas City. They are currently priced final sale at seventy dollars.”</p><p>Gus frowned. “But Luz, I thought you said they were supposed to be fifty?”</p><p>The man shook his head. “Unfortunately, seventy is the lowest these tickets will go to.”</p><p>The three of them shared a look. Luz knew they were all thinking the same thing. That barely left any money between them in case something happened.</p><p>Willow cleared her throat, doing her best at a smile. “Is there any kind of youth discount we can get?”</p><p>The man frowned, like this situation personally affected him too. Gods bless these flower crowns.</p><p>“I’m sorry, miss. But no.”</p><p>Luz groaned, leaning forward and pointing at the map. “But sir, look right here! The tickets are supposed to be fifty dollars.”  </p><p>“Luz, there’s nothing on that map-“ Willow tried, but the man looked down anyway, he clicked his tongue, and when he looked up at Luz, something had changed. His eyes had gotten misty, and his mannerisms had slowed.</p><p>“Ah, yes… the tickets are indeed priced at fifty. My apologies, Miss Noceda.” He reached down and typed at his board, his gaze flickering back to Luz one more time. “And for the trouble, I will bump it down to forty. This was my mistake.”</p><p>Willow and Gus were stunned. But Luz just broke out into the biggest smile and squealed in excitement, bouncing up and down on her toes.</p><p>“There we go! I told you guys the tickets were cheaper.”</p><p>Luz went into Willow’s backpack and took out the hundred and twenty dollars, paying the man who took it without another complaint, handing them three train tickets.</p><p>“The Greyhound will leave from the University, there is a city bus heading there in a few minutes.” The man said, and Luz and her friends nodded.</p><p>“Thank you for your help!” Luz said with a grin, and for a second the haze cleared, and the man smiled.</p><p>“Not a problem, kids.”</p><p>Luz and her friends rushed out the door and hopped on the city bus outside the station, and through the window, as they left, they watched the man’s smile fade into a frown, and the last they saw of him was the rubbing of his head before the bus started moving and vanished out of sight.</p><p>They paid the bus driver, (who insisted a single five was fine for the three of them, thanks to magic flower crowns) and sat down, and Luz shot her friends a happy smile.</p><p>“See, guys? Everything worked out! We’ll make the bus with fifteen minutes to spare too!”</p><p>Willow and Gus did their best to smile, but Luz knew something was bothering them. She frowned, looking back and forth at them. “What?”</p><p>“Luz,” Willow whispered. “What exactly did you see on that map?”</p><p>Luz frowned, knowing that it was wide open and they saw it too, there was no need to pretend they didn’t anymore. But regardless, she told them everything she saw, all the way down to ticket price.</p><p>“Luz, I swear to Zeus, when we looked we didn’t see any of that!” Willow exclaimed.</p><p>“That’s what you’re focused on right now?” Gus scoffed to her, turning to look at Luz with big eyes. “That man knew Luz’s last name. She never told him! I don’t think whatever hazy thing happened to him had to do with the flower crowns.”</p><p>Luz was stunned. She hadn’t realized that any of what had just happened was unusual. She figured he’d been nice because of the crowns, and she thought everything she’d done was just because she’d shown him the map.</p><p>“But… the map had all that information on it!” Luz’s stomach swirled uneasily, and the three of them sat in tense silence for the rest of the bus ride. When they got off at the university and waited outside the bus station for the GreyHound, she felt Gus poke her to get her attention.</p><p>“Look across the street.”</p><p>Luz looked and frowned. She saw a boy who was about the same age as the Blight twins, maybe a little older, standing across the street in one of the University of Cincinnati sweatshirts. He had a deep tan and curly brown hair shaved at the sides, and there was a book bag slung over his shoulder. He saw them looking and smiled, adjusting a notebook in his left hand and a pen in his right. He started to cross the street, and Gus inhaled sharply, but Willow just shot him a look.“Gus, what’s wrong?” She said quietly, so the boy wouldn’t hear. Gus just shook his head, too anxious to respond.</p><p>“Are you waiting for the bus too?” The boy said as he approached them, standing a little awkwardly across from them. Luz smiled and nodded.</p><p>“We are! You can wait with us if you want,” she offered, and Gus’s breath caught in his throat. Willow nudged him, giving him a pointed look to be nice.</p><p>“That’s very kind of you,” the boy said with a smile. Luz’s heart fluttered a little in her chest, and she hoped her cheeks weren’t turning pink. He was very cute. His pearly white teeth poked out when he smiled, and his shoulders were wide and broad, Luz had no doubt underneath his sweater he was likely very toned. Willow seemed to be feeling similarly because she shuffled her feet anxiously and wouldn’t look at him.</p><p>“It’s no problem, we’re all going the same way, and we’ll be on the bus together for a while! You know, since we’re going the same way and everything…” Luz said with a laugh. Oh, gods, she was rambling. Clearing her throat, she stuck out her hand. “I’m Luz. These are my friends Willow and Gus.”</p><p>Thankfully the boy laughed, reaching out and shaking her hand. “I’m Theo. It’s nice to meet some new people before a long journey.”</p><p>The bus took that moment to roll up, and Theo gestured for Luz and her friends to walk on first. The bus driver looked at their tickets and nodded for them to go on. They made their way to the back of the bus and took the back row of empty seats, Luz sitting between Willow and Gus. Theo got on just after them and said a few words to the driver, before heading in their direction. Gus practically stabbed Luz with his elbow, and she hissed in pain.</p><p>“What, Gus?” She said in annoyance, and he turned to her in panic.</p><p>“He didn’t have a ticket!” Gus whispered urgently, “he just got on without a ticket! I know you don’t think anything is wrong, but this guy is not human!”</p><p>Willow rolled her eyes at him but didn’t remove her gaze from Theo who was closely approaching. “Don’t be ridiculous.”</p><p>“You’re telling me this guy is a m-o-n-s-t-e-r?” Luz said, spelling out the words, and Gus swallowed hard.</p><p>“I don’t know if he is I’ve never read about one like him. But I know things from our world. He is not human!”</p><p>Luz hummed in the back of her throat, not sure what to think. She knew Gus was smart, and that he was rarely wrong, but Theo seemed like your typical guy. Not a cause for a reaction like this.</p><p>Theo approached them and smiled. “Is this seat taken?” He asked, gesturing to the one next to Willow. She shook her head, practically melting as Theo sat down.</p><p>The bus started rolling, and soon Gus had no choice but to accept that Theo was now a part of their conversation. The four of them talked back and forth, Luz and Willow asking a ton of questions about Theo and his life. Luz and Willow told Theo they were visiting their friend Amity in Colorado, (not really a lie) and he said he was going to Denver and then taking another bus south. They learned he lived with his dad in San Francisco, and that he’d been away for a long time and was heading that way to see him.</p><p>“Because you’ve been busy with school?” Gus asked, unable to keep the suspicion out of his voice.</p><p>“Kind of like that, yeah,” Theo replied with a smile that was almost wistful. Gus must have not liked that answer, because he crossed his arms. “To be honest, because of other stuff we’ve been away longer than I would have liked. But I’m back now, and I’m going to make sure I see my dad. I just have something to take care of in Denver first.”</p><p>“What do you have to do?” Luz asked curiously.</p><p>Theo shrugged, but he had one of those mysterious smiles on his face Luz had grown to be familiar with. “Stuff.”</p><p>Soon, they had passed the first stop in Indianapolis, and a decent-sized group of people got off before they left again and were rolling into Illinois farmland. The whole back was practically empty, and they could talk as loud as they’d like without disturbing the other passengers. Gus had slowly come around to acknowledging Theo’s existence, and instead of sulking quietly, he was now half-engaged into the conversation.</p><p>Around the time it was getting dark, and the conversation had whittled down into quiet silence, they were well into Missouri, and Luz was getting so hungry her stomach growled.</p><p>Theo turned his head to look at them. “You guys haven’t eaten?”</p><p>The three of them looked at one another before blushing in embarrassment.</p><p>“We had tea around early lunchtime, but the day kind of slipped away from us,” Willow admitted in embarrassment. “We’ll have to wait until we stop in Kansas City to eat, which wont be until tomorrow afternoon probably.”</p><p>Luz fought the urge to groan. She already missed the meals at camp, and honestly, she didn’t like the idea of going a whole day without food.</p><p>Theo adjusted the notebook and pen on his lap and reached into his bookbag, pulling out four Tupperware’s stuffed with food. “I packed extra food if you guys want to share. If you like PB&amp;J anyway.”</p><p>Luz and Willow eagerly accepted, thanking Theo profusely, but Gus gawked, sitting up so quickly in his seat he almost fell over.</p><p>“There’s no way you could fit all that in your bookbag.”</p><p>Theo shrugged, reaching over to hand a container to Gus, who just stared at it like it was poison.</p><p>“No way,” Gus said with a frown. “This is weird. This is so <em>so</em> weird. Who are you?”</p><p>“Gus!” Willow hissed, and Luz turned her head to him in shock. There was no way Gus was going to reveal them to Theo, not after they’d gotten on so well.</p><p>“No, Willow! There’s something weird going on here,” Gus insisted, turning back to Theo who was watching him humorously. Gus leaned right in, staring him down. “I’ve been watching you this whole time. You haven’t once moved that notebook or pen from your lap. Your stories are so weird, like half the pieces are missing. You’re acting very nice, but it’s not because of the flower crowns. You know who we are, and I want to know how <em>right now</em>.”</p><p>Willow and Luz shared a look of panic, realizing that Gus just outed them to Theo. But when they turned, Theo wasn’t confused. In fact, he laughed, gesturing for Gus to take the container from him.</p><p>“Alright, you caught me. You sons of Athena were always too smart for your own good.”</p><p>Luz, Willow, and Gus froze, all of their mouths dropping open comically. Luz felt her heart come to a complete stop. Willow full on dropped her Tupperware. Even Gus, who looked satisfied he’d gotten it right, recoiled like he couldn’t believe what he’d heard.</p><p>Theo was still holding out the container. “Will, you just take this and eat it? It’s not poison. I would never hurt another half-blood.”</p><p>This news built slower until Gus tentatively took the container and sat down. Theo smiled, looking at them with an unreadable expression on his face.</p><p>“I have to admit, I was naïve to think I could get away with keeping this a secret,” he said airily. “Being dead for thousands of years really makes a guy overconfident.”</p><p>Willow leaped away from Theo, and Luz and Gus were quick to reach for their weapons. Right before Luz drew <em>Aletheia</em>, Theo held out his hand, laughing.</p><p>“Sorry, sorry! Bad way to start I guess. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to bring you a message.”</p><p>Luz slowly lowered her hand away from her ring, and tucked herself closer to Willow and Gus. Theo sighed, running a hand through his perfect soft hair. For a dead guy, Luz thought it was very stylish.</p><p>“My name isn’t really Theo. In Athens, I was Theseus, the son of Poseidon. I have a message from my boss. Amity is not with him.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. I Get Threatened by the King of Athens</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everybody! Thank you for such positive feedback from the last chapter. I really enjoyed reading your comments. I have another chapter ready for you now. It's pretty plot-filled like the last one, but I couldn't fit all of it into one chapter so it's kind of the second part of the last chapter. </p><p>I hope you enjoy it! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a tense and uncomfortable silence. Luz had a sinking feeling in her gut, like pieces of a puzzle were coming together in a game she hadn’t agreed to play.</p><p>“What do you mean Amity isn’t with him?” She said quietly, not moving her eyes away from Theseus. If she had thought he was cute before, now the sight of him made her blood run cold. She should have listened to Gus. “Achilles captured her in Boulder. Where is she?”</p><p>Theseus pursed his lips. “Achilles isn’t always the most tactful. He has his own agenda too. He was supposed to bring Amity to my boss in Colorado, but he went off the rails, literally, and took her to his new place in Kansas City. Fled from our boss because of some disagreement between them.” Theo scoffed, rolling his eyes. “As if we could even refuse to begin with.”</p><p>Luz was stunned. “I have… so many follow up questions.”</p><p>“Kansas City? Like… our next stop?” Gus asked with a frown. “That’s one coincidence.”</p><p>Theseus hummed in annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’ll soon figure out that few things in our world are a coincidence. The gods are pawning you even as we speak. You met the flower crown lady in Cincinnati, who gave you a job to prove to the love lady she made the right choice in favoring you.” He gestures to Luz with a roll of his eye. “Then, your daddy gives you a hand in the train station to make sure you’re on the exact right path they need you to be on, so you can’t mess this one up. So sure, coincidence.”</p><p>“My dad?” Luz asks, not sure what Theseus meant.</p><p>“The map,” Gus hissed in realization. “As the god of travelers, some kids of Hermes must have special abilities with map reading.”</p><p>“Then there was the way she could haggle the price down without even trying,” Willow added with wide eyes. “He’s also the god of merchants.”</p><p>“See, what did I tell you?” Theseus said with a smile. “You kids are quick.”</p><p>Luz didn’t like feeling like an idiot. But that’s what was happening right now. All the time she and her friends thought they were doing something good, all that time Luz felt guilty thinking this was her fault and the gods had been manipulating their quest from the beginning.</p><p>Her anger must have shown on her face because Theseus shot her a sympathetic smile.</p><p>“Don’t feel too bad, Luz. It happens to literally every great demigod.” His face hardened. “In Athens, my quest in the Labyrinth was half a test of skill and half a test of wit. My father promised me glory and honor by coming home a hero, and when I got back on my boat I didn’t even have to touch my ship the whole way home. It was like the sea guided my boat home on its own, and I knew my father had blessed me. Do you know what happened after that?”</p><p>There was silence between the three of them. Luz remembered the story, but with the look on Theseus’ face, she knew she couldn’t say it.</p><p>“Poseidon didn’t raise the white sails when I arrived,” Theseus said bitterly. “My beloved stepfather had asked me to when I arrived so he knew I was home safe. When I arrived, I was the new King of Athens, because he had thrown himself off the roof thinking I was dead. Poseidon killed him.”</p><p>Theseus sat back in his chair, a look of complete misery on his face. “I blamed myself too, you know. Then, when I died, the gods couldn’t even spare me then. The judges wanted to send me to Tartarus. But Minos argued that because I slew the Minotaur, I deserved Elysium. In the end, I was punished to roam the Fields of Asphodel forever.”</p><p>Willow and Gus were looking at one another, but Luz was so enamored by the story she couldn’t tear her eyes away. She had always been a sucker for a dramatic tale.</p><p>“I forgot everything. Who I was, what I stood for. And then my boss came to me and pulled me from my torment. I was alive again, and a new man. I would never serve the gods as long as I served him.”</p><p>“The man in the mountain,” Luz whispered, looking at Theseus unable to disguise her fear. “Who is he?”</p><p>“The reason I’m here is so you never find out,” Theseus said slowly, and the three of them flinched. Theseus chuckled under his breath.</p><p>“Sorry, not like that. I’ve come as his messenger to offer you a deal.”</p><p>“A deal?” Willow said with a frown. Luz shared the sentiment. Why would the man who had been tormenting Luz’s dreams for weeks want to spare them?</p><p>“Look, you kids have a good heart.” Theseus continued, eyeing each of them carefully. “My boss knows that. I’ve now seen it myself. We’re all pawns in the game, we always have been. You didn’t ask for this quest, so my boss is giving you a chance you won’t get if you continue forward to Colorado. Go to Kansas City, take Amity from Achilles, and go straight home. Leave this whole thing alone and spare yourselves the pain and heartache.”</p><p>“But all of Olympus will fall without Hestia,” Gus protested, “we have to save her!”</p><p>“But why?” Theseus asked, and Gus fell silent. “Why can’t an old age of pain and suffering just end? My boss will allow a new era to rise, and demigods can live peacefully with the other mortals. I can see my father again. You can all go home without needing to fear a monster will hunt you down. Luz, you can have a normal life with your mom where she doesn’t have to worry.”</p><p>Luz flinched, and Theseus smiled slightly. She didn’t know how he knew about her Mami, but she didn’t like the way it rolled off his tongue.</p><p>“Stop that!” Gus demanded to Theseus, and he looked over at him innocently. Willow reached over and put a hand over Luz’s.</p><p>“I am just being truthful,” Theseus said, and Gus’s eyes hardened.</p><p>“No, you’re not. You’re deceiving her. You went to Tartarus because of how you treated Ariadne. You abandoned her on an island and she would have died there if Dionysus didn’t save her and make her his wife.”</p><p>Theseus froze, and for a moment his expression changed, going from sympathetic to cold.</p><p>Willow nodded along to Gus, pointing an accusing finger at Theseus.</p><p>“You were a war criminal too. You kidnapped the Amazons and the Spartans and caused a war for the Athenians between them. You were exiled because you treated others so terribly. The gods didn’t force you to be awful.”</p><p>Theseus’ eyes flashed furiously. “I am offering you demigods a way out! A chance to escape the prophecy.”</p><p>“Why would we want to do that?” Luz butts in, narrowing her eyes. “The prophecy told us we would bring Olympus peace.”</p><p>“The prophecy says nothing of the sort,” Theseus growled. “Don’t trust the words that can be so easily twisted. It also says you will dawn a new age. That is exactly what my boss is trying to do. And unlike you, I’ve heard it in its entirety. One of you is doomed to die, and that is why Amity would not tell the camp what she heard. She assumed it was her, and that is why she told her companions to run. But I know better. It will be one of you three.”</p><p>There was silence again, and Luz felt her mouth open and close fearfully. She didn’t know what she was going to say. Theseus got up from his chair, adjusting his notebook and pen to tuck it under his arms. Luz realized he was leaving.</p><p>“You don’t need to decide now,” Theseus said carefully, though he was clearly still angry. “My boss just asked me to pitch the offer to you. You’re still heroes, and now that you know where Amity is I imagine you’re going to go find her. Last we heard, Achilles was planning on hiding in the musician's manor in Sunset Hill on the west end. Look for the gold lyre outside.”</p><p>He pushed his way into the aisle, turning his head one more time.</p><p>“If you chose to continue, my boss will not hold back. We will do everything we can to finish our mission, and that includes stopping you if you get in our way. And I can promise you this, you are no match for my boss.”</p><p>Luz’s chest flared with anger as the entire conversation hit her at once. She hated Theseus. He was a huge bully, who was so mad at the world he blamed everybody else for it but himself. Luz knew better, and if his boss was anything like Theseus, then she hated him even more than she already did. Standing up, she balled her fists at him and stared him right in the eye.</p><p>“You’re no hero. We’re going to finish this quest and free Hestia, and we’re going to do it right. You can tell your boss we’re on our way.”</p><p>Theseus paused, but he didn’t say a single thing. He just looked at Luz sadly, like he was trying to decide what color coffin would go best with her skin tone. He walked to the front of the bus and whispered something to the driver. The bus screeched to a stop, and Luz had to grip Willow’s hand to keep herself steady. Theseus got off, and the bus started moving again. Luz collapsed into the seat, and Willow leaned into her shoulder comfortingly.</p><p>“That was really brave, Luz,” she said, and Luz shook her head.“No, it wasn’t. It was stupid. My Mami was right, I have a terrible habit of making enemies.”</p><p>“Theseus is an enemy,” Gus assured her, “but now we at least have some information.”</p><p>“Yeah, like how Amity is in Kansas City,” Willow said. “We can go get her tomorrow morning.”</p><p>“That, and that the man in the mountain is more scared of Luz than we originally thought.”</p><p>“What?” Luz sat up and looked at Gus like he had three heads. Gus shrugged his shoulders. “Theseus was trying really hard to cover it up, but their plan is dangerous. He is trying to keep us away from the plan, not protect us from it.”</p><p>“That’s a bold assumption, Gus,” Willow said with a smile. “But it’s also optimistic! I like it.”</p><p>“What about the little detail that one of us is going to die?” Luz said with a frown. “I don’t like those odds at all.”</p><p>“We won’t know what’s happening with the prophecy until we find Amity,” Willow reassured her. “For all we know, he could have been lying to us to try and scare us into submission. We can’t think like that. Trying to change a prophecy never works.”</p><p>Luz groaned, covering her head with her hands. “This is so confusing. I’m sorry I dragged you guys into this mess.”</p><p>“We want to be here, Luz,” Gus said with a smile. “Besides, I always knew Theseus was not the greatest, but today my theory was actually proven!”</p><p>“Yeah, what a jerk.” Willow agreed. “Sorry we didn’t believe you, Gus.”</p><p>Gus rolled his eyes and nudged Luz playfully. “Don’t. I saw the way you guys looked at him. We can’t trust every attractive demigod we run into anymore.”</p><p>Willow blushed, but Luz laughed, nudging Gus back affectively. “He has a point.” Luz reached down to her lap and picked up the Tupperware Theseus had given her. “Do we think this is safe to eat? Because I’m starving and I don’t want to go find Amity on an empty stomach.”</p><p>Gus snatched it out of her hands. “Don't eat that! For all we know it could be poisoned. It's enemy food.”</p><p>Willow had completely ignored both Luz and Gus and was busy eating half of the sandwich. “I had some when he gave it to us. It’s safe.”</p><p>“Great!” Luz snatched the container out of Gus’s hands and popped it open, her mouth watering at the sight. It was a fresh PB&amp;J on white bread and an assortment of crackers grapes and cheese. She dug in, finishing the contents in what must have been a record time.</p><p>Gus grumbled something about how we were risky and totally stupid, but he ate along with them. By the time they had finished, the three of them were sitting together comfortably, and Luz’s eyes were getting heavy. Willow nudged her with her shoulder.</p><p>“If you and Gus want to sleep, you can go ahead. I’ll take first watch.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Luz definitely wanted to sleep, but she didn’t want to leave Willow watching by herself.</p><p>Willow chuckled, putting her backpack between her and Luz, so she could rest her head on it. Gus settled in next to Luz, resting his head on his own pack against Luz’s side.</p><p>“I’m sure. Try and catch some sleep. We don’t know when we’ll get another chance.”</p><p>On that happy note, Luz wasn’t sure how she would be able to get to bed with her mind whirling. But as soon as she rested the pack against her head, she found that she was so exhausted from the day’s events she fell right asleep.</p><p>The dreams came again, and Luz found herself standing in the mountain, hiding behind a huge metal shipping container. She poked her head out and saw the man in the mountain, his back turned to her, staring straight forward at a huge metal cage. Inside was a girl, no older than fifteen, dressed in white rags and sitting with her hands bunched up to her knees. Luz thought she might have been very pretty if she wasn’t looking so haggled, her copper-haired pulled back messily and her eyes sunken and tired. Despite her half hazard appearance, she was staring at the mountain man with disdain, like he wasn’t worth her time at all. Luz liked her instantly.</p><p>“Why won’t you just give in?” The man said angrily, slamming the base of his bronze staff into the ground. Luz had never seen him with the staff before, he usually had a sword. He was cloaked in dark robes, and Luz could see parts of a dark mask sticking out from the front of his head. “You’ve been here for weeks now. Your fire should have died long ago.”</p><p>“The fires of Olympus are not so easily extinguished,” the girl said softly, frowning at him. “As long as there is hope, I will remain here.”</p><p>“I will crush your hope beneath my feet!” the man roared, and Luz flinched at the volume. The girl in the cage did not seem so easily frightened, and instead, her eyes flickered beyond the man and towards Luz. The two of them made eye contact, and Luz was shocked to her core by the warmth that flooded through her. Her eyes were the color of dying embers, and Luz couldn’t help but smile.</p><p>“Hope remains,” the girl said, but not to the man. She was looking directly at Luz. “And so I remain.”</p><p>Luz didn’t realize the dream had shifted until she was somewhere else. She was standing in a huge room reminiscent of an old ballroom. The tiles were white and smooth, and the walls had a golden wallpaper draping them. Everything inside was expensive, but the furniture was pushed against the wall like it wasn’t needed. Outside the polished white windows, Luz saw a massive garden and a long driveway, and then towards the street, she saw a stone plaque that read “1200 West, 55<sup>th</sup> Street”.</p><p>As Luz turned her attention back to the center of the room, she did a double-take. There was Amity, chained to the middle post with her eyes closed, looking worse for wear. She was still in the clothes she had worn when she left camp two weeks before, and she was grubby, with cuts and bruises all over her body. Luz lunged forward to help her, but the sound of laughing from another room startled her so badly she diverted and slide behind one of the expensive sofas hiding from view.</p><p>Two men emerged, talking amicably with each other.</p><p>“I don’t know how you managed to get away, you’re bound by eternal oath.” The first said, and Luz peaked over to get a closer look. He was a tall and skinny man dressed in simple white cotton pants and a blue shirt, with long black curly hair that sat messily on his head.</p><p>“I haven’t technically broken any oath yet,” the second said, grinning deviously. He was much larger than the first man, with muscles on muscles. He wore a sleeveless white shirt that was so tight Luz could see the outline of his stomach, jeans, and white sneakers. His dark hair was close-cropped to his head, and he had two swords hanging loosely on his belt. “Belos can wait a little longer. Besides, this is in his best interest. The prophecy says so.”</p><p>He reached down towards Amity, cupping her chin with his index finger and thumb, and Luz felt a snarl pulling itself angrily from her lips. She tried to rush forward but her limbs felt like lead, and she was frozen in place.</p><p>“She doesn’t look good. Keep her alive until the other kids get here. I put a bottle of nectar in the fridge.”</p><p>“Belos better come through with his promise.” The first said lowly, crossing his arms. “Taking out three demigods on my own is not how I planned to enjoy my new life.”</p><p>“You will be compensated for your work,” the second said with a shrug. “If there is one thing he is, it’s practical. He appreciates your time and effort on our joined mission.”</p><p>The first sniffed disdainfully, “very well.” He looked over at Amity, and his eyebrows pinched in concern. “Are we sure she’s breathing? You know I don’t do well with pets…”</p><p>Luz was interrupted by something shaking her violently, and she woke up with a yelp, her head smacking into something. She groaned in pain, rubbing her forehead.</p><p>“Ow!” Both she and Gus said at the same time.</p><p>Luz looked around and realized she was back on the bus, and that it was now almost dawn. The hard thing she’d collided with was Gus’ own head, and the boy was now standing up and leaning against the seat for support.</p><p>“That’s the last time I wake you up,” Gus moaned, shaking his head like it would get rid of the pain.</p><p>“We’re here,” Willow said, doing her best to stifle the laugh. “We just arrived at the Kansas City bus terminal. We have to get off and look for Amity.”</p><p>“No need,” Luz said certainly, standing up and throwing her backpack over her shoulder. “I know exactly where she is.”</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. I Learn the Hard Way that I Love to Talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello Hello! I won't say much at the beginning of this since this is one of my favourite chapters so far and I would like you to just enjoy it, so here you go! Chapter twelve is up and ready :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kansas City was Luz’s kind of weather. It was sunny and hot right as the sun began to rise, and Luz felt her muscles warm with the heat of the morning. The three of them got off the bus and headed to a café to grab some breakfast so Luz could catch them up on her dreams somewhere a little more private.</p><p>They went into a Starbucks and each ordered, taking turns using the bathroom to freshen up. They decided to grab a couple of wraps and snacks for the road since they didn’t know when they’d have time again. The barista insisted they get the staff discount, (Luz swears that were all just the flower crowns and not her bargaining for a lower price) and they packed some of the food away in their backpacks and took a seat at one of the window tables. Luz picked at her ham and cheese sandwich as she recalled her dream, the memory of them making her lose her appetite.</p><p>Gus had taken a big bite out of a blueberry muffin as she recalled the mountain dream, and he got so excited he choked and needed to swallow down some hot chocolate.</p><p>“That must have been Hestia you saw in the cage. So we know that she’s still in Colorado.”</p><p>Luz nodded in agreement. That did make sense. The girl had seen Luz staring right at her, and spoken directly to her. If that didn’t fit the description of a goddess she didn’t know what did. She moved on to the dream about Amity, but this one she said a lot slower, doing her best to keep her temper. Amity might have been mean to Luz when they met, and she didn’t like hearing that she had bullied Willow, but nobody deserved to be treated the way Luz saw her being treated. They had to get her out of there. When Luz finished, Willow and Gus seemed to share the sentiment.</p><p>“That’s terrible!” Gus exclaimed, being careful to not choke this time.</p><p>“She’s been alone for over a week now,” Willow added with a frown. “I don’t know how much longer that she’s going to hold out.”</p><p>“Well, I know where she is. I saw the address in the dream. 1200, West 55<sup>th</sup> street.” Luz said, shoveling the rest of her sandwich in her mouth, her body filling with newfound determination. “Let’s go get her.”</p><p>“It’s definitely a trap,” Gus warned, but he was also packing away his food garbage, so Luz knew he was also ready to go. “We need to be careful.”</p><p>“Whatever it is, we can handle it,” Luz said confidently. “The first guy even said that he would be dealing with us on his own. It’s three on one! How could we lose?”</p><p>“It’s bad luck to talk like that, Luz,” Willow whispered lowly. She was rubbing her arms nervously. “You’ll jinx us.”</p><p>The three of them threw out their trash and headed out into the city. They called for a cab and squeezed into the backseat, asking the driving to take them to the address. It was the weekend, so there wasn’t too much traffic, and before they knew it they had pulled up to a huge white manor. They paid the driver and got out, exchanged awed glances at the mansion before them.</p><p>Luz had seen it in her dream, but in person, it was a lot grander. It was an old colonial-style mansion with a few modern twists, with big windows and a triple glass garage. It was sitting on at least two acres of land. The stone plaque she had seen in her dream was there, and it was gated by a huge fence. Outside the gate, there was the huge sculpture of a lyre, a tell-tale sign from Theseus that they were in the right place.</p><p>“So, what exactly is the plan?” Luz asked, feeling a lot meeker than she was before.</p><p>“We could try being stealthy, getting in, taking Amity, getting out,” Gus offered. “I don’t know how effective a full-frontal approach would be.”</p><p>“What about the fence?” She said, gesturing to it.</p><p>Willow hummed, before taking a couple of steps back and running. She leaped at the fence, climbing it with ease and leaping to the other side, landing in a roll. She turned to the two of them and smiled. “Just like the rock wall at camp!”</p><p>“Woah!” Luz said, her mouth dropping. She forgot how agile Willow could be when she wanted to. Sharing a look with Gus, the two of them followed her, albeit not as gracefully as Willow. When they hit the ground, they began to quietly head through the garden to the main entrance. Crouching behind the entrance, they looked at one another with a raised brow.</p><p>“Now what?” Luz said, but before Gus could open his mouth, the hair on the back of Luz’s neck rose, and the sound of the most beautiful instrument Luz had ever heard echoed throughout the air. The doors to the manor swung open, and without even realizing she was doing it, Luz stood. It was enchanting, and Luz needed to get closer.</p><p>Willow snapped, and Luz’s head cleared immediately. She shook it out, and looked around in panic. She had walked all the way up to the entrance of the door, and so had Gus before she even knew what had happened. Gus looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head.</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>“Musical enchantments,” Willow said with a frown. “I remember the Apollo campers experimenting with those my first summer at camp. It’s not too dissimilar to plant magic, it also comes from the heart. We’ll have to be careful.”</p><p>“How do you ignore something like that?” Luz asked, her heart hammering in her chest from the effect of the music.</p><p>“Try and keep your mind grounded,” Willow offered. “I’ve had some practice, so you’ll be at a disadvantage, but if you try and focus on your surroundings we’ll be okay.”</p><p>Now that they were staring into the foyer of the manor, Luz was getting a lot more nervous. The whole house seemed to glare at her eerily.</p><p>“It’s creepy,” Gus said, and Luz nodded. They all drew their weapons, and <em>Aletheia</em> shifted into a knife. Gus clicked the button on his watch and drew his shield.</p><p>“Let’s stay together,” Luz said, doing her best to muster up that power of Hermes. Her friends would need it. “We’re strong together, and we can take whatever is thrown at us.”</p><p>Willow and Gus perked up a little, and together they headed into the house. It was much bigger on the inside than they had anticipated, and Luz bit her lip trying to remember where the room Amity was being kept in was.</p><p>“It was facing the window, towards the street…” she mumbled, turning right into another foyer. "It must be down here."</p><p>Sure enough, they soon entered the room, and Luz was shocked at how familiar it looked. Her dream had gotten everything right. But when Luz picked up speed to get to where Amity had been chained the night before, she turned the corner and came upon nothing.</p><p>She wasn’t there.</p><p>Luz faltered, her eyes widening in panic, and she heard Willow and Gus inhale sharply. But before they could turn and start looking around the house, the music started again, and Luz felt her muscles getting tighter. They were so heavy like she had been working out for a week straight and she couldn’t stand anymore. She dropped to her knees, unable to stop it. Next to her, Gus dropped his shield.</p><p>“Looking for someone?”</p><p>Luz did her best to turn her body to the sound of the voice. Standing in the archway of the room from the entrance they had come through was the man from Luz’s dreams, now dressed in a white cotton shirt and cuffed blue jeans. His black hair was gelled back, and he had olive skin and dark eyes that were glinting at them humorously. On his belt was Amity’s sword, and Luz’s eyes hardened at the sight. He had a golden lyre in one hand, that seemed to be playing the music on its own, and in the other, there was a set of chains wrapped around his hand. When she looked down at what the chain was connecting too, Luz’s eyes widened.</p><p>At his feet Amity was kneeling, looking just as battered as she had in the dream, her hands chained together in her lap. But now, at least, she was awake. Her gold eyes were misty like she hadn’t slept well in a long time, but they blinked in familiarity when they landed on Luz and her friends. Luz immediately perked up, swallowing hard to try and pull herself to her knees. All she managed was to stand on one knee.</p><p>Luz tried to shout, her face contorted in anger, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out. Gus was trying next to her as well, and it had the same effect. They were quieted.</p><p>“I have heard of your abilities, daughter of Hermes.” The man said, shooting her a cold smile. “My lyre will have stopped your voice for now. Try all you want, but it is fruitless.”</p><p>Next to her, Willow was still standing, seemingly unaffected by the music. The man lifted a brow to her.</p><p>“I have not seen a demigod resist my music in a long time. Are you a sister of mine?”</p><p>“No, my mother is Demeter,” Willow said, but from the look on her face, she didn’t really want to say anything. The man furrowed his brow further, speechless. Willow took the opportunity to step forward, clutching her sword. She did her best at a smile, adjusting the crown on her forehead.</p><p>“Please sir, don’t hurt me or my friends. We just want to leave as soon as possible and be out of your way.”</p><p>Orpheus faltered for just a moment before the smile returned to his face.</p><p>“Ah, the crown of Antheia. No wonder you are resisting so well to my magic. You have a little of yours on you as well, don’t you?”</p><p>Willow tightened her grip on her <em>kopis</em>, clearly disappointed that didn’t work.</p><p>“Let my friend go. Theseus sent us to take her home.”</p><p>“Theseus?” The man said with a laugh. “Has the plan changed yet again? I am not interested in playing 'quest' like I did in my last life. It drove me mad, chasing around prophecies left and right. No, I was given my orders. You won’t be taking her today.”</p><p>Willow glanced at Luz and Gus worriedly, and Luz figured out what was happening. Willow was buying them time. Luz inhaled the best she could, trying to follow Willow’s advice to ground herself. She pushed the music to the back of her mind, trying to focus on the quest at hand. Amity was still blinking at them like she couldn’t believe they were there. Luz pooled her strength. They had to get her out of this house.</p><p>“What do you mean, playing quest?” Willow said, feigning curiosity. She was taking a gamble on the man enjoying talking about himself, which seemed to work because he smirked.</p><p>“Back in Greece, I was a great musician. I traveled with Jason and his Argonauts on a series of quests far more interesting than the one you are currently on. I was a great asset to their team, I curbed the Sirens with a single song on my lyre. We brought glory to all demigods!”</p><p>The story seemed familiar to Luz, but she was too focused on gathering her strength. Willow thankfully put the pieces together for her.</p><p>“You’re Orpheus, the son of Apollo.”</p><p>Orpheus crinkled his nose. “Must you refer to me as his son?”</p><p>“But he gave you that lyre,” Willow said, confused. “Why would you not be proud to be his son?”</p><p>“I am not proud to be any sort of thing to these gods,” Orpheus retorted with a low growl. “The gods are the reason I lost Euridice. They played me like a fiddle, and I was the one to pay the price for it! I dedicated my music to my father and he stood by and watched while I suffered! When I died, I swore to the judges that I would never praise the gods. I was a heretic and a fool for trusting them to begin with. ”</p><p>The more his voice raised, the harder it was for Luz to keep her focus and not submit to the music. It seemed to get louder every time Orpheus raised his voice. Next to her, Gus’s face was turning purple as he tried to ground himself. Willow shuffled, realizing she was running out of time. If they just had a couple of seconds… but they still needed a plan, and they definitely couldn’t talk now.</p><p>Luz looked at the lyre, angry that a dumb set of strings had bested her. But as she looked at them moving back and forth, a thought overcame her. She glanced down at <em>Aletheia</em>, still in its knife form, and clenched it.</p><p>It would be a Hail Mary for sure. She wouldn’t have time to aim she would just have to throw. There was the risk she could hit Amity, and if she hit Orpheus it probably wouldn’t do much but buy them a couple of seconds.</p><p>“You let Euridice go because you looked back in the underworld,” Willow insisted, and Orpheus’ face purpled with rage. “Hades and Persephone told you the rules.”</p><p>“They tricked me!” He yelled, and Luz and Gus buckled at the new volume the music was making. Willow even winced, clutching her temple. At Orpheus’ feet, Amity groaned, and Luz felt her heartbeat quicken. They were running out of time.</p><p>She needed a miracle. Closing her eyes, Luz ducked her head and prayed.</p><p>
  <em>Dad, I don’t know if you’re listening, but if you are, please. I need your help to throw my knife straight. Help me save my friends. </em>
</p><p>She didn’t know if it was the newfound strength from taking a moment to collect herself and resist the music, or if it was her dad’s blessing, or even if it was just unmeasured and unearned hubris, but when Luz opened her eyes she was ready.</p><p>She looked up at Willow, who was looking at her expectantly. Luz still couldn’t speak, but she did have her hands. She looked at Willow desperately and held up five fingers at her side. A countdown.</p><p>Somehow, Willow understood. Her eyes widened, and she turned back to Orpheus as Luz put down the third finger.</p><p>“They didn’t trick you! You made the mistake, you knew what would happen if you looked!” Willow exclaimed, doing her best to get a rise out of him.</p><p>Orpheus roared, clenching his fists and turning his gaze directly onto Willow. “I will make my music silence you!”</p><p>Willow stumbled as the effect shifted between them, dropping to her knees, and Luz felt the restrains of the music break from her. She scrambled to her feet, rearing back with Aletheia and throwing with all her might. Somehow, it sailed directly into the lyre, cutting the middle two strings in half and silencing the music for good. Luz felt her muscles relax as all the strength came flooding back into her body, and she turned to Gus and opened her mouth, finally able to speak.</p><p>“Go!”</p><p>There was instant chaos. Gus scrambled to his feet and charged, knocking Orpheus flat with his shield and the demigod yelped in surprise as he stumbled, skidding across the tile. Gus stabbed through Amity’s chains with his spear, breaking them. Willow raced over and used her <em>kopis</em> to cut the chains around her hands, and Amity finally was free.</p><p>Luz took off sprinting towards <em>Aletheia</em>, which was lying on the floor across the room. As she scrambled to pick it up, she squealed in surprise and dove left, barely escaping being cleaved in two by a <em>xiphos</em>.</p><p>Orpheus glared furiously down at Luz, gripping Amity’s sword tightly in his hand.</p><p>“You broke my lyre, you feeble excuse for a half-blood! You will pay for this!”</p><p>Luz’s eyes widened as he swung, and Luz had no choice but to dive again. She wasn’t nearly skilled enough with the knife to deflect a sword like this one, definitely not without getting her hand cut off. She didn’t think any amount of nectar could grow a new one back.</p><p>The sword swung and missed as Luz rolled, and she back kicked as hard as she could towards his hands. Luz felt something connect as he screamed in pain, and she grinned with glee at the realization she must have hit his wrists. She heard the clattering of something on the floor, and scrambled to her feet, only to immediately hit the floor again as she got kicked in the ribs hard. The wind was knocked from Luz’s lungs, and she cried out in pain as he stepped hard on her back, pinning her to the ground.</p><p>“Belos was right about you demigod’s,” he hissed, pushing harder to press Luz’s face into the tile. “You’re all just as foolish as we were.”</p><p>“Luz!”</p><p>Orpheus cried out again as Gus rammed into him with his shield, knocking him flat. Luz coughed as Willow helped her to her feet, and when her vision cleared, she smiled when she realized that Amity was standing, even if it was a little shaky, leaning on Willow for support. Gus backed Orpheus into a corner with his spear, holding it up menacingly at him.</p><p>“Stay back!”</p><p>“Oh, how menacing. Aren’t you just the scariest little boy?” Orpheus said sarcastically. He lifted his nose to Gus, mocking him. “Stay back!”</p><p>Gus flushed red with embarrassment. Luz couldn’t believe what he’d just done, and she growled under her breath, unable to contain herself.</p><p>“How can you seriously call us names? You’re acting like a little kid!” Luz stepped forward, glaring right down at him. Now that he was weaponless, alone, and overpowered, Luz could see right through him. He was just like Theseus. Bitter, lonely, and entitled because he thought he deserved better.</p><p>“You say that it’s the god's fault you got what you got, but that’s not true,” Luz said, and she saw Orpheus blink like he couldn’t believe how Luz was speaking to him. “You got what you got because you made mistakes that you blamed on everybody but yourself. And now you’re doing it again.”</p><p>There was so much she wanted to say to Orpheus, but she knew it was a waste of her breath. He had made his choices long ago, but Luz refused to let him embarrass and upset her friends because he couldn’t take accountability for his actions.</p><p>“I haven’t done this demigod thing for long, but I know that by putting your faith in Belos, and trying to destroy the gods, you are making a mistake that you’ll regret. We are not going to make the same mistake.”</p><p>Orpheus’ lips pulled into a sneer. “Tough words from you, half-blood. Why don’t you go find Belos yourself and fulfill the prophecy.”</p><p>Next to Willow, Amity inhaled sharply, and Luz looked over, her eyes widening. She looked terrified. Swallowing, Luz steadied her breath, turning back to Orpheus with a steeled expression.</p><p>“No. Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to leave you alive, and leave this place. Then you’re going to tell Belos that we’re coming for him, and we’re going to free Hestia and save Olympus. That’s a promise.”</p><p>Orpheus quieted, pondering this for a moment. He looked directly into Luz’s eyes and then scoffed.</p><p>“I was right, you are foolish.”</p><p>Luz didn’t respond to that, she just touched her knife and Aletheia flipped back to a ring. She put it on her finger and walked over to pick up Amity’s sword. Heading back over to Amity, who had been watching the whole conversation in silence, Luz extended it out to her by the hilt.</p><p>“Here, you can have this back.”</p><p>Amity blinked at it like she wasn’t sure what it was. She looked up at Luz, frowning. Luz just smiled, wiggling it so she got the hint to take it. Eventually, she smiled softly back at Luz and strapped the sword to her belt. Already she was looking a little better, though she clearly needed some serious rest.</p><p>“Come on guys,” Luz said, passing one more look back at Orpheus who was glaring at Luz like he was imagining her head on a stick. She completely turned her back on him, heading back the way they came. “We’re done here.”</p><p>The four of them headed slowly out of the mansion, and towards the gate. With a swing of her <em>kopis</em>, Willow cut the lock on the gate, and they pushed it open, heading out into the street.</p><p>They started to walk, but their progress was slow. Amity was limping on her leg, and she couldn’t move very fast, and Gus and Willow were walking in front and behind keeping an eye out for either Orpheus following them or sending help.</p><p>They walked a significant distance from the manor in silence, none of them sure where they were really going before Amity couldn’t go any farther. She exhaled heavily and almost collapsed, and Luz caught her in her arms.</p><p>“Amity!” She cried out.</p><p>“I’m okay,” she breathed after a few moments. “I think I hurt my leg.”</p><p>“We shouldn’t have let you walk this far,” Luz mumbled, feeling guilty. Amity had been hurt for over a week now. She needed medical attention.</p><p>“There’s a little shaded area we can rest just ahead,” Willow said quietly. Luz realized she hadn’t said a word to Amity since they left the manor. She wondered if now that she was safe, all their skeletons in the closet were starting to resurface. Even Gus, who was usually quite friendly, had seemed to pick up the awkwardness too and was also unusually quiet.</p><p>“I can keep going,” Amity said, gritting her teeth and trying to push herself off of Luz to keep going. Luz shook her head, tightening her hold around Amity.</p><p>“No, you’re hurt. I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”</p><p>Amity pinked, opening her mouth to protest. “Luz, you don’t need to-”</p><p>“And, scoop!” Luz held Amity up in her arms and continued to walk. She wasn’t going to let her hurt herself further because she was trying to act all tough around her friends. Luz knew Amity had a lot of layers, but she could sacrifice some of them for her personal safety.</p><p>Amity must have realized this too because she didn’t protest for much longer. Luz could tell after a couple more minutes of walking that Amity was a lot more exhausted than she’d let on. Even though they were the same size, she was practically weightless. She probably hadn’t been given much in terms of eating since she’d been captured. Despite the sunny weather, her body was shaking too. She didn’t think it was from the cold, and with a jolt of understanding, Luz realized it must have been from fear. Luz frowned at this, turning her head to whisper quietly to her so Willow and Gus wouldn’t hear.</p><p>“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through in the last couple of weeks,” she said, and Amity tensed, turning her head away like she didn’t want to talk about it. Luz hesitated, not wanting to push her, so instead she tried a gentler approach.</p><p>“We’re going to figure this out together, ok? You’ll be able to rest, and then we can talk when you’re feeling up for it.”</p><p>Amity swallowed, and Luz looked down at her face. She seemed to be grappling with something, her eyes giving away how stressed out she really was. Luz felt guilt swirl in her stomach. She hadn’t meant to upset her more than she already was. Just as she was going to open her mouth to apologize, her eyebrows widened in surprise when she felt Amity rest her head onto Luz’s shoulder.</p><p>“Okay,” she said simply.</p><p>Luz felt a smile she couldn’t control pull at her lips. Maybe they were on the right path as friends after all.</p><p>Amity mumbled something else into her shoulder and Luz frowned leaning down.</p><p>“What was that?”</p><p>Amity pinked again, looking up to meet Luz’s eyes. Her gold eyes flashed in embarrassment.</p><p>“I said thank you. For saving me.”</p><p>Luz grinned, tilting her head and smiling so hard her eyes squinted.</p><p>“That’s what friends do!”</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. We Make a Fort out of Thorns</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again everybody! I hope you guys are excited for some one-on-one lumity moments because I sure am!!!! </p><p>Without further ado, let's cue the tragic backstory :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Willow found them a nice little camping spot by a creek about a fifteen-minute walk outside the wealthy suburb where they’d left Orpheus. Luz was glad they could rest, she would never tell anybody, but despite her strength growing since arriving at camp, her weak little nerd arms probably couldn’t have carried Amity much farther.</p><p>Willow drew her sword and started weaving a protective barrier of foliage in a circle around us, large thorns protecting any monsters from barraging through easily. Gus reached into his stuffed backpack and pulled out something labeled “pop a tent” and opened the lid pointing it back towards a tree. Out popped, well, a tent. Luz’s mouth opened in awe. It was a six-person family tent, and it had already magically nailed itself down. Despite the rain, there was a slicker cover over it to shelter them.</p><p>Luz wanted to ask him where he’d got something like that, but her body was slowly starting to betray her. Her arms were now shaking carrying Amity’s weight over two miles, and when she opened her mouth nothing came out. She would have been embarrassed if Amity had noticed, but her worry was quickly overtaking her too. Amity had tucked her head against Luz’s shoulder and had somehow fallen asleep there, and her breathing was lightly coming in and out with every step Luz took.</p><p>Considering how shaky Luz’s steps had been, she must have really been exhausted to be able to fall asleep.</p><p>Gus zipped open the tent, gesturing inside. “Put her down in here, I’ll grab Willow’s medical supplies.”</p><p>Luz nodded and moved forward, ducking her head under the tent door and walking in. The inside was a decent size, with three sleeping bags already laid out on the left side of the tent. On the right side, there was a pile of blankets on the floor, a place clearly meant for sitting and relaxing. There were a couple of sleeping bags and other camp supplies stacked in the back corner. Luz hesitated, not sure where to go until Amity spoke up quietly from her shoulder.</p><p>“The blankets are fine,” she whispered. Her voice was raspy like she had just swallowed sand.</p><p>Luz gently set her down on the blankets, and Amity exhaled. Luz couldn’t help but perk up at that. It was almost a sigh of relief, but not quite.</p><p>As she collapsed into the blankets and settled in, Luz walked over to the camp supplies and took out an extra sleeping bag and a pillow.</p><p>Gus poked his head inside the door, dropping Willow’s bag near the entrance.</p><p>“Willow thinks she sees mortal hikers in the area so we’re going to try and magically conceal the campsite.”</p><p>Luz nodded, “Ok, I’ll be right out.”</p><p>Gus shook his head. “No, stay here. We won’t be long.” Gus left fairly quickly, with the promise that they would yell if they needed help.</p><p>When he left the tent, Luz walked back over to Amity and handed her the bag and pillow, who thanked her quietly. As she took it, Luz looked at her wrists and gasped. Her wrists were covered in deep purple bruises from the chains.</p><p>“Amity,” she started in horror, and the girl quickly covered her hands with her sleeves.</p><p>“It’s nothing,” she tried, but Luz shook her head.</p><p>“That’s not nothing,” Luz retorted. “And don’t try to tell me it doesn’t hurt either.” She wasn’t usually so stern, and with a jolt, she realized she probably sounded just like her Mami when Luz came home with an unexplained injury. Under different circumstances, she might have been embarrassed, but now she had a job to do.</p><p>She picked up Willows backpack and unzipped it, reaching inside to pull out the mortal first aid kit and a canteen of nectar. Underneath the canteen, Luz pulled out this Ziplock baggie of what looks like some kind of square food, and Luz’s brow furrowed. Amity chuckled at her expression, reaching over to take it from Luz and open the baggie, popping a square into her mouth and chewing.</p><p>It was like life immediately came back to her face. A lot of the bruises began to fade from her body, including the ones on her wrists. Her face started to go less pale and more to the tan color she’d had when Luz first met her at camp. Her gold eyes brightened, and Luz noticed with a smile that she looked a lot better. Amity finished chewing and looked at Luz, her cheeks pinkening.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Oh, she was staring. Luz looked away quickly, her own face coloring.</p><p>“Nothing. I just have never seen that before. Does it do the same thing as nectar?”</p><p>Amity nodded, smiling softly at Luz’s curiosity. It was a weird look on Amity. For a while there when they met, Luz didn’t think she could do anything else besides scowl and stare blankly. “It’s ambrosia. If nectar is the drink of the gods, then ambrosia is the god's food.”</p><p>“I didn’t think the nectar would taste like my mom’s soup,” Luz admitted, and Amity laughed. It was a clear sound that rose in a crescendo, and Luz didn’t think a noise like that would have ever come out of her mouth. She wanted to try and make her laugh again.</p><p>“It tastes different to every demigod. It’s supposed to be your favorite tastes wrapped into one bite or sip.” She ripped off a little piece of the ambrosia, holding it out for her. “Here, try some.”</p><p>Luz hesitated, which was so out of character for her she almost couldn’t believe she’d done it. “Won’t it burn me up if I’m not injured?”</p><p>Amity laughed again, and Luz couldn’t help but smile. That was easier than she thought. “No, not an amount this small. Besides, I saw Orpheus step on your back. This will help with the pain.”</p><p>Luz felt her face heat up at the memory. Now that Amity had mentioned it, her lower back was killing her. But she would never admit it, not with Amity as injured as she was. “I’m alright.”</p><p>Amity pointed her nose up at Luz. “You’re not alright,” she said, mimicking Luz’s earlier tone. Luz’s cheeks flushed deeper and she decided it was worth shoving the ambrosia in her mouth if it meant Amity wouldn’t tease her anymore. The second she started chewing she hummed in approval. Her mouth was filled with the delicious buttery taste of mantecaditos.</p><p>“So good,” Luz said in awe, never wanting the taste to leave her mouth. Amity was quiet, watching Luz in amusement. When she finally did swallow, she realized that she had been right, the pain in her back was now gone, and the exhaustion in her arms from carrying Amity all the way here was also easing up slightly. Feeling embarrassed she’d almost denied needing the help, she smiled sheepishly at Amity.</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>She chuckled, “no problem.”</p><p>They were quiet for a few moments, neither of them sure what to say. Well, Luz knew what she wanted to say but her ADHD brain was running a hundred steps ahead of her. She wanted to ask about the prophecy, about what had happened in Colorado, about the man in the mountain. Amity seemed nervous, and she bit her lip, wringing her hands together. Just when Luz felt like she was about to burst, Amity finally spoke first.</p><p>“What did it taste like?”</p><p>Luz blinked. She definitely hadn’t been expecting Amity to ask that.</p><p>“Uh, mantecaditos.”</p><p>This time Amity looked confused. “Huh?”</p><p>Luz chuckled softly, rubbing the back of her neck. “They’re Dominican butter cookies. When we lived in upstate New York closer to my Mami’s family we would have them after church or at baby showers and stuff. My Mami usually gives them to me when I managed to not get expelled from school that year.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s nice,” Amity said with a smile, sharing the happy sentiment. Luz flashed her a nervous smile, fiddling with her hands. She always had a hard time making friends, and she didn’t want Amity to think she was a weirdo. She was lucky that Willow and Gus wanted to be around her, but she found that their friendship was easy, almost effortless. But with Amity things were tense and charged, likely because of their initial dislike for one another and the now shared double prophecy they were still skirting around together. Luz didn’t want to mess up and make Amity hate her again.</p><p>“What about you?” Luz asked, trying to keep it going. “What does ambrosia taste like for you?”</p><p>Luz knew it was a bad question the second she asked it. Amity’s face fell, and her mouth twisted into a frown. Luz immediately started apologizing.</p><p>“Sorry I didn’t mean to-”</p><p>“No, no, don’t apologize, it’s not a bad question.” Amity cut off quickly, shaking her head. After a short pause, she quietly added, “for me, it tastes like cherry pie.” She bit her lip, deep in thought, and Luz felt herself leaning in curiously as Amity seemed to get lost in the memory.</p><p>“You don’t have to tell me,” Luz began softly, and Amity hummed, looking at her with a smile, but it wasn’t soft like the other ones. This one was tense, almost sad.</p><p>“I’m sure Willow already told you anyway. When she first came to camp, she and I were friends. We used to play hooky from the campfire and steal cherry pie from the kitchens. We built a fort in the forest and ate it with our hands. We’d sit there for hours away from everyone else, keeping each other company.”</p><p>Luz smiles at the cute mental image. She had heard the story about how Willow and Amity had been friends, but when Willow had talked about it she was a lot more tense and upset about it. Luz couldn’t figure out why Amity was talking about it so nostalgically, especially since she had been the one to abandon Willow for her new friends. At the same time, she wasn’t opposed to Amity wanting to reconcile with her other friend, especially since they would be together on a quest and needed to work as a team.</p><p>Plus, Luz couldn’t help but think that she’d done something different with Amity and gotten her out of her shell a bit. Maybe she could create some shenanigans to get her and Willow back as friends. She was so lost in thought, she had to snap back to reality as she processed that Amity was still rambling.</p><p>“Nectar tastes like buttered popcorn for me. That’s another memory with Willow. We first became friends at movie night during Willow’s first week at camp. They were showing Disney’s Hercules, and all the other kids were mocking it for how incorrect it all was, but Willow just sang the songs to herself and smiling at me and soon I started joining in. After that night we were inseparable, even once she was sorted into the Demeter cabin and we couldn’t see each other as much but then after that year….”</p><p>She stopped, swallowing hard and looking ashamed. She tucked her knees up to her chest and looked away from Luz. “Well, I’m sure Willow told you what I did.”</p><p>Luz didn’t know why she felt sorry for Amity, especially since she just basically confirmed that Amity did in fact abandon Willow because of her interesting goldy parentage. As a friend, she should stand up for Willow, and call Amity out for being cruel. But instead, she just sat down next to Amity on the blankets, gently reaching out to touch her arm reassuringly.</p><p>“Look, Amity. We all do things we regret. All that matters is that we acknowledge what we did and try to move forward.”</p><p>The green-haired half-blood scoffed, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. As Luz scanned her face with her eyes, she realized that this look wasn’t just out of exhaustion or regret. She almost looked haunted. “I don’t deserve to have a person like Willow in my life. Why are you being so nice to me? I was terrible to you at camp.”</p><p>Luz shrugged, nudging Amity with her shoulder playfully, trying to cheer her up. “Most people tend to be terrible to me when they meet me. It must be a half-blood thing.”</p><p>Amity managed a half-smile and a weak laugh. Luz took that as a cue to move forward. Now she was more curious than ever. She just hoped she wouldn’t do her Luz thing and be too much. She leaned down to look Amity in the eyes.</p><p>“I know those memories must be painful for you, but what happened to you guys? And why are you both trying to hide it?”</p><p>Amity sighed tiredly, and Luz thought that despite being her age, Amity had an old soul that Luz could probably never understand. But Hades be damned she wasn’t going to try.</p><p>“There are a lot of things in my life that stop me from feeling like a real half-blood.” Amity started quietly, and Luz’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion. She thought that Amity was as real a half-blood as she could get. I mean holy Zeus, she was chosen for the quest because of her skill and her reputation. But she didn’t voice this, instead, she did her best to listen and fidget as little as possible.</p><p>“I know you know that my mom is Aphrodite, but I don’t know if you knew that Edric and Emira are my full siblings, not just half like the other Aphrodite campers.”</p><p>She shook her head. She hadn’t known that.</p><p>“So, you guys have the same mortal father?” Luz concurred, and Amity tensed.</p><p>“Yes. But we also have the same mortal mother.”</p><p>Luz had never been more confused in her entire life. Thankfully, Amity didn’t want to continue.</p><p>“My parents are also demigods. They went to camp with Eda and Lilith as kids, and that’s how they met. They worked together to run a successful business inside of Olympus, and are well renowned by the Olympic Council. But they didn’t get together until after my father fell in love with Aphrodite. The twins were babies when my parents got married. My mother said she didn’t mind, she hadn’t planned on having her own children anyway. But then, when they were two and a half, Aphrodite left me on the doorstep. My mother was not happy about this.”</p><p>“Amity…” Luz began with a gasp, already knowing where this was going. Though it was clear how hurt she was telling the story, she still continued, swallowing hard before moving on.</p><p>“My mother told my father that because of their reputation on Olympus, and their status within the community, she would forgive him. She said as long as we turned out to be just as respectable as she was in the eyes of the gods, I would be welcome in their house. By the time I was three, I was taught to swing a sword. I already knew what camp was when I arrived, and I already had been given a standard to uphold. I had to be the best, the strongest, the most skilled, the most honored. Otherwise, I would always be a mistake.”</p><p>“So that’s why you stopped being friends with Willow,” Luz whispered softly.</p><p>“She was never the weak one, or the freak, or the half a half-blood,” Amity confirmed, her eyes betraying how ashamed she really was of this. “Willow is the strongest demigod I’ve ever met. And I had to be better, and that meant I couldn’t be her friend.”</p><p>There was silence, as Luz took time to process all of this. She couldn’t believe what Amity had just told her. She had known that being a half-blood was always going to be complicated, but Amity was like one of those massive puzzles her Mami never finished. How could you even unpack all that in one sitting?</p><p>“Is that true?”

Luz and Amity jumped at the voice from the tent entrance, and Amity flushed with embarrassment when she saw Willow standing there, watching her with blank, unreadable eyes. Luz’s heart started hammering in her chest, worried that Willow was either going to snap at them both for talking behind her back or that Amity was going to yell at her for eavesdropping.</p><p>There was a tense and uncomfortable silence as the two of them stared each other down. Willow with those unreadable green eyes and Amity with gold eyes blinking in shock. Luz would have killed a thousand white eagles to know what would have happened next, but they were half-bloods after all, so they were unfortunately interrupted.</p><p>Gus screamed in terror from loudly outside the tent.</p><p>“Guys!” He yelped, and Luz could hear the click of his watch as he drew his shield. “We’ve got company!”</p><p>Luz jumped again, touching her ring and drawing the sword version of <em>Aletheia</em>. Willow and Luz shared a look before racing outside of the tent, and when Luz saw what was there she couldn’t help but think that maybe she was starting to understand why half-bloods were so unlucky.</p><p>Luz didn’t know a lot of Greek myths off the top of her head, but after meeting the guy, she had brushed up on his saga of quests with Gus just to see what all the fuss had been about. This monster was straight out of his legend, a massive man with the head of a bull, and huge horns circling his head. He was dressed in a Greek chest plate, and he was slashing down Willow’s thorns with his huge ax. They fell to the ground like he was slicing paper.</p><p>It breathed in a fury and roared so loudly that Gus shrank from behind his shield. Willow was soon at her side, and despite the fact that Luz knew she was way too exhausted to fight, Amity was there too, her own <em>xiphos</em> drawn, the amethysts glowing in the sun.</p><p>The four of them stood together, waiting for the Minotaur to tear down the last of the thorns and charge.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. I Begin My Career in Bullfighting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everybody! Sorry for the delay, school is picking up for me so I had to spend all day yesterday catching up on readings and homework assignments. But I'm back with Chapter Fourteen! I hope you all enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz’s hands were shaking as the Minotaur charged again, slashing through the thorns with his ax. Willow swung her blade, and another wall appeared in front of it, buying them some more time.</p><p>“What do we do?” She yelped, as the beast bellowed in rage and reared back to swing again. Gus flinched behind his shield, and Amity stepped forward with her sword, her eyes hardened ready to attack. Luz’s heart hammered in her chest.</p><p>“Amity, get in the tent!” Luz ordered quickly, and the daughter of the love goddess whipped her head around to look at Luz with wide eyes.</p><p>“What? I’m not letting you do this on your own!”</p><p>“You’re injured and exhausted,” Luz retorted. She knew Amity was going to fight with her on this, but Luz thought that despite their little time, it was worth it. “You could get hurt. The three of us can hold it off.”</p><p>“I’ve dealt with worse these last few weeks,” Amity insisted. “Four demigods are better than three.” She turned her head back to the monster and Luz gawked in annoyance that she wasn’t going to listen to her.</p><p>Luz wanted to keep arguing with her, and she opened her mouth to do just that, but from her right, she felt Willow put a hand over her shoulder. When she turned, she was looking at her seriously, her green eyes shining with an emotion she couldn’t read.</p><p>“Let her fight. It’s no use trying to talk her out of it when she’s made up her mind. We’re out of time.”</p><p>She was right. With another roar, the Minotaur hacked down the thorns and charged, flying in their direction. Willow and Gus yelped, throwing their bodies to the right, but Luz just froze up, unable to tear her eyes away from the massive bull-man running at her at full speed.</p><p>Amity literally saved her life. She threw her body into Luz’s, knocking them both to the left. Luz felt her body skid and roll, and she scrambled to her feet, clutching her sword. She looked over and saw Amity struggling to get up, so she reached down and help pull her to her feet. The Minotaur wasn’t able to change direction fast enough and ran straight into the tree next to their tent, and the force of the impact caused him to roar in pain.</p><p>“Thanks,” Luz breathed out, and Amity simply leaned against Luz for support, the force of their fall clearly having knocked the wind out of her.</p><p>“Next time just pay attention,” she said, and while the tone was light, Luz felt a flash of guilt realizing just how close they’d come to being flattened. They needed a plan.</p><p>She looked over at her friends and saw that Gus was trying to get Willow to circle the monster around the tree. Thinking this was a decent idea, she charged forward with Amity on her heels and they spread out in a half-circle around it and took turns stabbing with their weapons. The Minotaur roared in annoyance, and its massive head swung around and around as it tried to pinpoint who had hit it where. But it was too slow, and with one particularly good strike from Amity, who stabbed it right in the thigh, it realized it was trapped.</p><p>Locking its eyes on Gus’ shiny shield, it reared back and charged, and the boy just barely had time to screech and dive sideways before it charged right where he’d been moments before.</p><p>It took the monster some time to do a complete full turn, but when it did, it’s eyes locked on a new target: Willow. As it reared back to charge, Willow swung her sword in a slashing motion, and roots sprung up from the ground, wrapping around its legs. The Minotaur tripped, falling to its knees, and Amity gasped.</p><p>“Now’s our chance!”</p><p>Luz had seen the opening too because she was already running. She knew Willow was doing her best to keep the thorns wrapped around its legs, and in Amity’s condition, she’d never get there in time before the monster broke free. She was the only one who’d be able to get there in time.</p><p>She broke into a long stride and leaped through the air right as the Minotaur broke free. With a swing of her leg, Luz managed to straddle it’s shoulder blades in a piggyback as it stood up, shaking as hard as it realized Luz was on it.</p><p>It took everything she had to hold on for dear life. The beast shook its head in a fury and began charging at random. Luz wanted to use <em>Aletheia</em> to stab as hard as she could into the back of his head, but she couldn’t keep a strong grip on both the sword and the Minotaur without being thrown off it.</p><p>The Minotaur kept charging at random, trying to shake Luz off while also keeping her friends at bay. Luz heard Amity shriek in surprise as it spun in a 180 and almost rammed her against a tree. If it’d not been for Willow, who’d seen it coming and was able to yank Amity out of the way, she’d also have been crushed. This spurred on new anger inside Luz. They’d come so far to free Amity from Orpheus, they were not going to fail her now. She couldn’t move her hands away from the monster's neck, but she did have her feet.</p><p>On one particularly hard spin, Luz used the momentum of the beast to throw her body up in the air, and come back down hard with her heel, slamming it into the back of the monster's spine. The Minotaur yelped and recoiled, and Luz finally had an opening. Luz reached into her pocket and slipped on the leather strap she only used on special occasions. When she felt it slide over her palm, she reared up her hand and slammed the buzzer down on the Minotaur as hard as she could. His whole body jerked as it was wracked with an electric shock, and the beast was frozen in paralysis.</p><p>Everybody around her moved at once. Willow and Amity used their swords to slash at its arms, and Gus charged with his spear, hitting it right in the stomach. There was a horrible squelching sound as all the weapons connected at once, and the beast went limp, dropping to its knees.</p><p>Luz leaped off it’s back and stabbed with her sword as hard as she could, and the blade went right through its heart. The Minotaur dissolved into dust, every part of it fading including its armor that melted away like butter. All that drop to the ground was a single silver chain around its neck, landing neatly in a pile on top of the monster dust.</p><p>Exhaling, Luz touched her blade and it turned back to a ring. Willow and Gus retracted their own weapons, and the three of them shared a look of exhaustion. How many more battles were they going to be in today? It was barely after two o’clock.</p><p>Amity tucked her <em>xiphos</em> back onto her belt, doing her best to stand straight, but Luz saw her chest rise and fall quickly. She was still favoring her leg, and while she knew nectar and ambrosia was all healing in a sense, she didn’t like that Amity looked almost just as exhausted now as she had at Orpheus’ manor.  </p><p>“How did it find us?”</p><p>Gus was the first to speak, his voice wavering fearfully. Luz was suddenly very aware of how much younger he was than Luz, Willow, and Amity. With his shield on his arm hiding half of his body and exposing his face, his features were still incredibly baby-like.</p><p>“The thorns should have kept our location hidden,” Willow mused, her own eyes dark with anxiety. “There’s no reason it should have spotted us in the forest like this.”</p><p>“Is there any way it could be tracking any of us?” Amity asked the question innocently, clearly not wanting to start any kind of pointing figures, but Luz’s blood ran cold. Her hands immediately popped up to her face, and her eyes widened comically.</p><p>“Holy Zeus,” she said guiltily. “I know how it found us.”</p><p>She then told them about the cellphone she had packed with them and forgotten to ask about. When she was halfway through the story, Gus groaned so loudly Luz winced. He looked like he wanted to smack Luz across the face.</p><p>“Are you serious?” He exclaimed, glaring at her. “There’s a reason cellphones are banned at camp.”</p><p>“That was very irresponsible, Luz,” Willow agreed, and Luz deflated, feeling worse about the whole thing.</p><p>“I’m sorry, guys,” she said, her face heating up. “I just wanted to have a way to keep in contact with my Mami. I put us all in danger and I’m sorry. I’ll leave my phone behind the next time we move.”</p><p>“We should move soon,” Gus said. Now that Luz had apologized, he looked less frustrated. He must have been able to tell how guilty Luz was feeling. “As long as that cellphone is on Luz, all monsters will know where we are.”</p><p>Amity, who had been quiet the whole time, was watching Luz with narrowed gold eyes. “Hold on, Luz, could you please go get your phone?”</p><p>Luz blinked, and Gus and Willow shared equally confused looks.</p><p>“Uh, okay.”</p><p>She went into her bag inside the tent and took out the phone, bringing it back outside. While she had gone to get it, Willow had waved her hand and grown back more thorns, but the act seemed to make her more exhausted than she’d been before. Luz’s curiosity spiked. She wondered how much energy summoning plants took out of her.</p><p>When she met back up with Amity, the gold eyed demigod held out her hand, and Luz dropped the phone into her palm. Amity pressed the home button on her iPhone 7 (Luz wasn’t allowed to have a new phone, she’d broken the X her Mami had splurged on her for Christmas last year and after that, she’d had to use her Mami’s old phone) and her eyebrows furrowed when it didn’t turn on.</p><p>“Has it been off the whole time?”</p><p>Luz frowned, she supposed she must have turned it off when they were in the chariot as they left Camp Halfblood. She nodded.</p><p>“Yeah, I didn’t want it to die on the trip in case I couldn’t charge it.”</p><p>Amity handed it back to her. “Then the monster didn’t find us from your phone.”</p><p>Now Luz was confused. “What?”</p><p>Gus sighed and nodded to what Amity was saying. He and Willow were now looking guilty.</p><p>“Monsters track the signal from the phone when you send or receive messages,” Gus explained. “So you’re phone wasn’t the reason the Minotaur found us.”</p><p>“Gus!” Willow hissed, looking around nervously. “Watch what you say.”</p><p>“Sorry, Pasiphae’s son.” Gus corrected. Luz now was so confused she just settled on the realization that she was never going to figure out this whole demigod thing so she just let Gus talk. “So we were traced here, but not by your phone.”</p><p>Amity had crouched down over the scatterings of Minotaur dust, and she pulled up a huge silver chain.</p><p>“This is it.”</p><p>Luz peered closer at it, and realized on the bottom of the chain there was a little old-timey message in a bottle hanging off the end. Amity popped the cork with her thumb, tipping it upside down to take out a small piece of paper. She unraveled it and read the note out loud.</p><p>
  <em>“This is your last warning. Now that you have your friend, turn around now and go straight back to your camp. More horrors await you if you come after the hearth. -Theo”</em>
</p><p>Luz felt white-hot rage searing through her bones. “That jerk!”</p><p>“That’s some way to promise us they won’t hurt us if we turn around,” Willow said in annoyance.</p><p>“We should have known it was from him the second we saw what monster it was,” Gus added, turning to look at Luz guiltily. “Sorry for accusing you.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Luz said, doing her best to control her temper. “I didn’t tell you that I’d brought it, so it’s also my fault too.”</p><p>“Hold on,” Amity said, and Luz was glad she wasn’t the only one who looked confused. “Who’s Theo?”</p><p>“We better get inside the tent and talk,” Willow said, her mouth forming into a hard line. “We have a lot to catch up on, from both sides.”</p><p>The four of them sat around the blanketed floor of their tent, each of them picking at the wraps they’d bought from Starbucks earlier that morning. The only one with an appetite seemed to be Amity, and she wolfed down the sandwich so quickly Luz wondered when the last time she’d had a real meal was.</p><p>Willow told their side of the story all the way from the beginning of camp, from when Edric and Emira had called on a favor from Aphrodite to take the chariot, to Antheia and the crowns, (which had finally wilted off their heads, and no flower magic Willow had tried seemed to get them back to health) to the white, sorry Caucasian, eagle. When she told Amity that the eagle had been killed in exchange for a ride, Amity winced.</p><p>“Sorry about that, Edric and Emira have a habit of just doing things without thinking.”</p><p>Luz shrugged. “It ended up working out. It got us all the way to Cincinnati in less than an hour. We met Theo… er… Theseus on the bus.”</p><p>Amity blinked, her gold eyes widening comically. “Like, <em>the </em>Theseus?”</p><p>The three of them nodded grimly, and Luz launched into the story about map reading and the bus ride from Indianapolis to Kansas City. When she finished, Amity’s face had gone ashen.</p><p>“That’s the third demigod rising from the dead to serve this man in the mountain. That is definitely not good.”</p><p>“I know you’ve been through a lot recently and I don’t want to push,” Luz began, and Amity’s face tightened. She knew she already had a feeling of what she was going to ask, but Luz’s curiosity had now gotten the better of her and there was no way she could stop the question now. “What happened in Colorado, Amity? What did Achilles want from you?”</p><p>Amity was quiet, and she reached down at her Southwest wrap and started picking at the pita. Luz wasn’t sure she was going to say anything at all, but then she started, and Luz and her friends were unable to stop themselves from leaning in eagerly.</p><p>“When I got to the mountain with Skara and Boscha, we thought we were going to face the man in the mountain… this Belos guy… right away. But before we even got up the mountain, there was some weird magic stopping us in our tracks. We couldn’t move. Our whole bodies started feeling cold, and even if we were in the mountains, it was way too cold for June. It started snowing, and I just had this weird feeling that we were in the wrong spot. We left the mountain and I took us to Boulder, and I thought that maybe Hestia would be near this cafe. At the time, it had radiated strange energy. Then I realized it was Achilles’ hideaway, and we had been lured there. He was there waiting for us.”</p><p>Amity’s hands had begun to nervously climb up and rub her arms together. She looked lost in thought, and Luz didn’t want to push her to continue if she couldn’t. But then she steeled her expression and took a breath, and kept going.</p><p>“When we got there… Achilles looked directly at me. He called me ‘one half of the hero’. I had no idea what he was talking about… I thought he was calling me weak so I challenged him. That was such a mistake… he played at my pride and used it against me. When we were dueling, he leaned down right in my face and said that the prophecy would destroy me. I might have won if his words hadn’t rattled me so badly. I know the prophecy, I heard it and knew this quest was dangerous… but I hadn’t wanted to be the one to go down for it.”</p><p>She swallowed hard, and Luz had a hundred questions but it didn’t feel right to interrupt her right now.</p><p>“I thought after he captured me and sent Skara and Boscha away that I was dead for sure. I had almost lost all hope in anyone finding me… and then you three showed up and saved me despite all the terrible things I’ve done to you.”</p><p>Amity’s eyes had welled up, and Luz wondered if the tears were from terror, exhaustion, or relief. She turned to Willow and reached out with her hand to touch her arm. Willow didn’t flinch away, instead, she looked at Amity with wide, blinking eyes. Amity swallowed, looking shameful but also the most apologetic Luz had ever seen her.</p><p>“Willow, you were never too weak to be my friend. I was too weak to be yours. I can’t take back everything I did to you and Gus and Luz at camp, but I can promise that I will never let anybody hurt you guys ever again. I am so sorry.”</p><p>Willow paused, and Luz’s hands involuntarily went to her mouth. She couldn’t believe that this was the same Amity who had threatened to destroy her during capture the flag two weeks ago. After a moment, Willow blinked and tilted her head.</p><p>“I was listening to what you said before the monster attacked. I heard why you did it.” Her mouth twisted into the smallest of smiles. “I can’t say that we're friends just yet but… this is a start.”</p><p>Amity didn’t say anything, but the soft smile she gave Willow gave away just how relieved she was. Eventually, Gus and Luz were grinning too, and the tension broke like a knife. The four of them shared a couple more of the (very overpriced) Starbucks snacks they’d bought, and they talked and laughed about what Amity had missed at camp since she’d left for their quest, including the latest game of capture the flag where Edric had fallen into the creek and accidentally tripped the red team player running with the flag and won them the game. After the four of them had stopped laughing at the retelling of the story, Gus and Willow got to their feet.</p><p>Willow reached into her backpack and pulled out a baggie in the inside pocket. She fished around and pulled out three golden coins, and Luz gasped.“You’ve had gold all this time and we’ve been worried about money?”</p><p>Gus chuckled. “They’re golden drachma’s, Luz. We should send an Iris Message to camp letting Eda and Lilith know that Amity is okay.”</p><p>“I saw a waterfall by the edge of the creek,” Willow said. “Where there’s a water flow, there’s a rainbow. Do you guys want to come?”</p><p>“As much as I’d love to hear from my siblings, I think I should probably rest,” Amity said, and Luz couldn’t have agreed more. Willow and Gus turned to Luz in question, and as much as Luz would have liked to hear from Eda, she didn’t like the idea of leaving Amity alone right now.</p><p>“You guys go, I’ll wait here.”</p><p>The two shared a glance, before shrugging. “Alright, we shouldn’t be too long,” Willow said, and Amity and Luz nodded to them in understanding. They got the code. If they were too long, they needed help.</p><p>As they left, Luz realized that she was once again alone with Amity. The two sat in quiet silence, it wasn’t exactly awkward, but it wasn’t steady either. The air seemed charged, and Luz realized it was because she was still itching with questions.</p><p>Unable to hold it back any longer, Luz finally felt like she could ask the question she’d been dying to know since Amity left.</p><p>“In the strawberry fields that morning, you’d asked me to watch after the camp,” Luz said, and Amity tensed, her hand freezing over the apple slice she was about to pop in her mouth. “Why did you ask me that of all people?”</p><p>Amity was quiet for only a couple of moments. Eventually, she put the apple slice down and looked up, her eyes conveying just how nervous she was to talk about this.</p><p>“The prophecy gave me some kind of indication that I would have to rely on other people besides the ones I knew well to finish the quest,” she said slowly, and Luz’s curiosity peaked. There it was again, that strange prophecy stuff. “I had been thinking so hard on it, that I felt like it couldn’t be a coincidence you were up that morning too. Then you told me about your dreams, and I knew something was off. Barcus’s prophecy had seemed so strange… like it told me nothing but everything all at once. You make me feel like that sometimes too. Like every time I look at you, there’s something big I’m missing just beyond my reach.”</p><p>Luz felt her face flush at the comment, and she knew it was because Amity had spoken just a little too freely. Luz got it, she really did, because Amity often made her feel the same way. Like that night of the skeleton attack when Amity had first opened up to her.</p><p>“When I got my prophecy, Barcus told me it was incomplete,” Luz said slowly. Amity blinked looking over at her in surprise. “He said that you’d only been given one half of it, and that I received the second part.”</p><p>As what Luz said began to process, Amity’s expression shifted from surprise to curiosity.</p><p>“A double prophecy? I’ve never heard of that happening before,” Amity mumbled, but her head was tilted curiously, so Luz smiled.</p><p>“Maybe if we each share our bit, we’ll understand the whole of it a little better!”</p><p>Amity suddenly got nervous, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know Luz… maybe your half is better than mine, but my prophecy wasn’t exactly optimistic.”</p><p>“That’s why you didn’t share it before you left?” Luz inquired, and Amity sighed.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“But maybe the whole thing will sound better!” Luz tried, but Amity still looked nervous. Luz frowned, not understanding why Amity was being so hesitant.</p><p>“Look, my prophecy doesn’t exactly paint me in a very nice way,” Amity said, her face flushed. Luz realized she was now embarrassed, and her mouth dropped open in surprise. “I just… I don’t want you to judge me for it now that we actually seem to be getting along.”</p><p>Luz reached out reassuringly and put a hand on Amity’s arm. Amity’s face got, if possible, redder, the blush now reaching the tips of her ears.</p><p>“Whatever it is, I’m not going to judge you,” Luz promised, offering a white smile. “We’re in this together, remember?”</p><p>Amity paused for another moment before she nodded slowly. She opened her mouth and began to recite the lines.</p><p>
  <em>“You shall go on a quest with those you hate calling friends,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>From what you find in the nightmare, a hero’s life ends.”</em>
</p><p>Amity paused, her voice cracking on the last line. Luz winced as well. She had been hoping Theo was exaggerating about the “someone will die” part, but the prophecy seemed to be pretty clear. Luz did her best to steel her expression, not wanting to discourage Amity from continuing. It was like Eda said, prophecies can be misleading. They don’t always speak overtly. They could worry about this later. After a short pause, Amity continued.</p><p>
  <em>“Left there alone, you cling to your past</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Without better friends, your journey won’t last”</em>
</p><p>Amity finished her line, and Luz made a noise of understanding.</p><p>“I get why you didn’t want to share that,” she said gently, reaching out and wrapping her arm comfortingly around the other half-blood. Amity’s face was so red now it looked like she would pass out. Luz assumed this was from the nerve-wracking lines of the prophecy, so she squeezed her shoulder and smiled. “But the other half of the prophecy is a lot nicer. I’ll show you!”</p><p>Luz recited the lines as best she could from her memory.</p><p>
  <em>“But with wisdom and life, the merchant travels and meets</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The fallen heroes home, where they lose all their speech</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It takes four to escape, and release the goddess caged</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As a group restore peace, and dawn a new age.”</em>
</p><p>When she finished, she released her grip around Amity’s shoulders and grinned.</p><p>“See, we’re already off to a great start! It’ll take four of us to save Hestia, and now we have you on our side! Orpheus must have been the fallen hero since he used his lyre to not let us talk. So as a group, we’re going to save Olympus together!”</p><p>While Amity was not looking as upset as she was before, she was still biting her lip nervously.</p><p>“I don’t know, Luz. Don’t you think it all seems too good to be true?”</p><p>“There’s no such thing,” Luz insisted. “I won’t rest until we have this whole situation figured out. Repeat after me: we can fix this together!”</p><p>Amity sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, a little blush appearing on her cheeks. “We can fix this together.”</p><p>Luz whooped in excitement, pumping her fist in the air. “Yeah, we can!”  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Gus's Mom Reminds us to Eat our Vegetables</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello everybody! I'm back with another chapter. This one is long, about two thousand words longer than most of my chapters so I hope that's alright. </p>
<p>I enjoyed writing this one, mainly because there are some fun callouts to the characters in the Percy Jackson universe in this one. This isn't a story focused on those characters, but it is the same universe, so I like to play around with throwing their names in now and again!</p>
<p>I'll let you all enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who has left a comment or a kudos, it truly makes my day that you guys are enjoying this fic as much as I enjoy writing it! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That night, the four of them actually got sleep. Luz had another dream where she was back in the mountain, but once again the woman in the cage just regarded her with big eyes, encouraging her to have hope. When she was woken up by Gus for her turn at guard duty, she had the last shift before dawn and sat outside the tent watching the sun rise with a fairly optimistic outlook on the day to come.</p>
<p>She’d changed into her only set of fresh clothes but kept her hoodie and shorts over her leggings and white shirt, and she was feeling like today would be a fresh start. After all, if Hestia could be trapped in that cage for weeks, looking as terrible as she did and still remind Luz to have hope, then she would have to make sure she still had hope.</p>
<p>Around her neck, she shifted the dog whistle Eda had given her. They’d been in plenty of dangerous situations so far, but Luz was still very hesitant to blow the whistle. She didn’t want to use it unless she absolutely had to, and even if she did, she wasn’t sure it would even work. Luz had relied on a lot of chance so far on their quest, but this one seemed like too big of a stretch to rely on.</p>
<p>Eda had never let her down, but this strange bronze dog whistle might. Luz didn’t know what to think.</p>
<p>Amity woke up first, meeting her outside in the morning and sitting next to her on the grass outside the tent, splitting one of the last wraps silently with her. Luz took the half thankfully, and the two watched the rest of the sunrise together, Amity occasionally sipping little bits of nectar. There was one point where her skin was starting to look feverish, and Luz got nervous and pushed the canteen away from her.</p>
<p>“Maybe that’s enough for a little bit,” she said quickly, and Amity giggled, nodding her head.  </p>
<p>“That’s probably a good idea. There isn’t a lot of it left anyway.” She packed the canteen away and put it at her side, tucking her knees against her chest as she nibbled at the wrap.</p>
<p>“How are you feeling?” Luz asked, but she already knew the answer. She looked so much better. Amity’s skin had returned to a soft cream color instead of the sickly pale it had been yesterday. She’d lost the slight summer tan she’d had at camp, but Luz was certain she’d get it back after a bit of travel. The bruises had almost completely faded from her body, and she seemed to be back to most of her previous strength. Luz was happy to see her so energized.</p>
<p>“Good, much better than I was yesterday, I should find a change of clothes though.” Amity picked at the shirt she’d been wearing, which was definitely worse for wear. There was a slash mark right across the stomach. It was definitely going to make them look suspicious. When Amity lifted her arms, Luz could see her bellybutton through the tear. “I lost my backpack in the mountain, so I don’t have any of my stuff. I haven’t showered in so long, I’m starting to smell like a satyr.”</p>
<p>Luz laughed, almost choking on her wrap. “I think that can be arranged. We can stop before we get on the bus to Colorado and you can pick up some stuff.”</p>
<p>Amity’s smile wavered a little bit. Luz noticed it always did that when she mentioned Colorado. She was going to ask about it, but before she could Willow and Gus walked out of the tent, Willow looking ready to go with her backpack slung over her shoulder, and Gus yawning, blinking sleep out of his eyes.</p>
<p>“Good morning you two,” Willow said with a smile. “Are we ready to keep moving?”</p>
<p>Amity and Luz nodded, both of them getting to their feet. They offered to help break camp, but it didn’t involve much work. After pulling a string on the side of the tent, it popped back into the canister Gus had opened it with. Luz was seriously impressed.</p>
<p>“And you mocked me for being over-prepared,” Gus said with a teasing grin, and Luz laughed.</p>
<p>“Consider this my official apology.”</p>
<p>Gus produced a water bottle from his bag, and his toothbrush and toothpaste. Luz and Willow did the same, leaving Amity staring there wistfully. Willow smiled at her and reached into her bag, handing her an unopened toothbrush still in the packaging.</p>
<p>“I figured there was a chance you lost yours, so I packed on just in case,” she said shyly, and Amity offered her a grateful look.</p>
<p>“Thank you so much. This is more than I deserve.”</p>
<p>“You’re a part of the team now!” Willow just said with a smile. “If you need anything, just ask.”</p>
<p>After they brushed their teeth and did their best to “get ready” for their day on the go, Willow waved her sword and the thorn barrier fell. They walked out of the forest and back towards the main road.</p>
<p>“I don’t usually encourage this, but we don’t really have a choice,” Gus said slowly. “Luz, you should use your phone to call us a cab. It would be a couple of hours to walk back to downtown.”</p>
<p>Luz nodded, figuring if Gus gave her permission that was as good as she was going to get. When she turned on the phone, nervous notifications of messages from her Mami popped up, and she did her best to ignore those and call the cab company first. When she was assured a cab would be on the way, she ignored Willow’s disapproving look and went to her messages to look at her Mami’s texts.</p>
<p>“I can’t just ignore her,” she said quietly, and Willow sighed but turned her head away, giving her the go-ahead.</p>
<p>Luz looked down, reading the three messages carefully, each sent two days ago about twenty minutes apart.  </p>
<p>
  <em>Ok, mija. Have fun on your field trip. Stay out of trouble, and if you ever need anything just give me a call. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Wait, I thought you weren’t supposed to have your phone at camp? </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Some things never change with you. Te quiero mucho, carino xoxo.</em>
</p>
<p>Luz knew she shouldn’t risk it, but she typed back a quick response anyway.</p>
<p>
  <em>Te quiero mucho, Mami &lt;3</em>
</p>
<p>She turned off her phone and tucked it back into her backpack. When the cab did eventually roll up and the four of them piled in, Luz went to sit in the front. The cabbie was an older man who looked at the four of them and turned to Luz with a raised brow.</p>
<p>“You kids have money for the cab, right?”</p>
<p>Luz did her best not to get irritated with the cabbie for being so rude, especially since he was looking at Amity and her dirty clothes with unmasked suspicion. Luz thought that was pretty brave, especially since she had an actual sword on her belt. She remembered what Eda had said about the thing that stopped mortals from seeing their world. She wondered if the sword just looked like a weird belt. She doubted it helped them in this case. She was really missing the magic of Antheia’s flower crowns.</p>
<p>“We have money,” Luz said. “What’s the fair to downtown?”</p>
<p>“From here, probably forty.”</p>
<p>Luz felt like that number was high, and judging by the look on Gus’ face it was more than they could afford, but they didn’t have much of a choice. Nodding, Luz got in the passenger seat, and her friends got in the back.</p>
<p>While they drove, Luz noticed the odometer on the front of the cab. Her eyebrows raised. Like the map, the price on the reader was not what Luz’s gaze had fixated on. Above it, there was a floating yellow number, with a price a lot cheaper than the odometer. Luz grinned. She was starting to love the perks that came with being a Hermes kid.</p>
<p>Sure enough, when they pulled inside the city near the bus terminal, and Luz told the cab driver to pull over, he told Luz the price was going to be forty-three fifty. The number Luz saw said thirty-two sixty. When Luz told him this, that same mist appeared over his eyes, and he accepted their money without hesitation. The four of them got out, and as he drove away Amity blinked at Luz in awe.</p>
<p>“How did you do that?”</p>
<p>Luz shrugged, “the odometer said thirty-two sixty was the real price.”</p>
<p>Amity’s mouth opened to protest, and Gus nudged her with her shoulder. “Her dad’s the god of merchants and travelers, remember?”</p>
<p>Amity made a noise of understanding. “Right.”</p>
<p>Luz’s eyes however had shifted from her friends to the map station outside the bus terminal. When she opened it and saw her custom display of information, she gawked.</p>
<p>“Oh no! The bus leaves in twenty minutes. If we miss it, we won’t catch the next one until tomorrow.”</p>
<p>That urged her friends to move. They raced inside the station, and Luz pushed through the crowd to one of the open terminals. There was a lady waiting there who smiled as she approached.</p>
<p>“Hello, how can I help you?”</p>
<p>Being a child of Hermes was <em>really </em>benefiting Luz on this quest. Not only was she able to get a decently priced ticket for Amity to Denver, but she had also been informed that their three other tickets would suffice on this bus as well since they hadn’t been able to make the full trip to Denver. Luz had a feeling when she stamped their other tickets with approval she had been making a big exception, likely due to a little magic, and a little bit of Luz’s friendly smile.</p>
<p>They boarded the greyhound right on time. Making their way to the back, Luz sat between Willow and Amity, with Gus on Willow’s left.</p>
<p>“Well, that’s basically all the money we have left,” Willow said with a grimace, gesturing to their now significantly emptier change pockets. “We have about twelve dollars in change between us.”</p>
<p>“That’s not going to do much when we get to Denver, and we still have about a seven-hour bus ride ahead of us,” Amity added with a frown. “We’re going to need to find some more money. We don’t want to have to walk the whole way up the mountain. We’re be swarmed and surrounded in no time.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean swarmed?” Luz asked, turning to look the half-blood in the eyes. A light blush fell over her cheeks at the eye contact, and Amity’s gold eyes looked away nervously.</p>
<p>“Its… it’s just dangerous for half-bloods.” Amity stuttered, and Luz frowned, not understanding why Amity was acting so strange all of a sudden. Did she have something on her face? Luz wiped her face with her sleeve anxiously.</p>
<p>“It’s a translated Greek landmark,” Gus explained helpfully, and Luz turned her head to look at her friend instead. Gus was fidgeting with something in his backpack, and he pulled out a sheet of parchment that Luz peered over to look at.</p>
<p>It was a hand-drawn map, but unlike most of the maps, Luz had seen recently, there was nothing usual about this one. It showed North America, but where a lot of big landmarks were there were also hand-drawn additions. Luz’s ADHD brain went bonkers trying to take it all in at once, and while there were countless drawings, she only had time to look at a few. The first one Luz noticed was the Empire State Building, which had an addition to show Mount Olympus. Camp Half-blood had been outlined on Long Island Sound, but Luz also noticed another camp on the other side of the country near San Francisco labeled “Camp Jupiter” with the Roman SPQR above it. Not far from that, near Los Angeles, was an addition labeled “Entrance to the Underworld”. There was a castle in Quebec labeled “Boreas’ Palace”, and where the Bermuda triangle was had been labeled the “Sea of Monsters”.</p>
<p>Gus however, directed her to Colorado, where he pointed towards modern-day Mount Elbert. It had been relabeled “Mount Pelion” with a drawing of a group of Centaurs. Luz recognized them easily enough by the half-man, half-horse biology.</p>
<p>“This is why it’s dangerous,” Gus said grimly. Luz frowned, not understanding.</p>
<p>“I thought centaurs were friendly, didn’t that group of them come to Camp Half-Blood right before I arrived?”</p>
<p>“Most centaurs are friendly,” Willow assured her, but her eyes were also trained on the map. “But the ones who live in Mount Pelion are known to be dangerous.”</p>
<p>“In Greek times, Mount Pelion was a place where many famous demigods came to train,” Gus said, running his finger over the map. “Achilles and Jason were two really good examples. When the fire of Olympus moved to different empires, Mount Pelion kept its role as being a safe haven for new demigods to train. It always spouts out some of the best demigods of the era, like Nero, Ferdinand the Seventh, Lord Byron, and Lafayette who all trained under Chiron like Achilles and Jason. When North America became the new flame of Olympus, Mount Pelion moved, just like it did every time before then. But Chiron didn’t return to Mount Pelion. He left and founded Camp Half-Blood.”</p>
<p>Luz’s brain was hurting from processing everything Gus said. She was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of Lord Byron being a demigod. She was pretty sure her English teacher would heavily disagree with the idea of him being any kind of hero.</p>
<p>“Why did Chiron leave?” Luz asked, and Amity finally spoke up from next to Luz, the blush now faded from her cheeks. But Luz noticed that even though she was talking to her, she kept her eyes trained on her camp necklace, fiddling with the beads.</p>
<p>“Nobody knows. But he warned heroes against going to Mount Pelion. Before I left on my quest, Lilith told me to be careful. The Centaurs that live there are smart and ancient in their own way. It’s not that they don’t like heroes, but legend has it they can detect when a hero is lying, or misguiding their intentions. If they think you are doing that, they will tear you limb from limb.”</p>
<p>Luz gawked, dropping her mouth open. She suddenly was feeling a lot less confident. She wasn’t trying to deceive a Centaur, but she didn’t have the best track record with ancient heroes, and she worried a Centaur might notice that.</p>
<p>“How did you, Boscha, and Skara avoid them?” Luz asked with a frown, and Amity winced like she’d been hoping Luz wouldn’t ask that. She didn’t respond, and Luz was going to let it go before she sighed.</p>
<p>“I visited my parents in Cherry Hills Village. My father gave me a map to an alternate route up Mount Pelion that would be away from the Centaurs. He did warn me that I’d find monsters on the way, but we decided we’d rather take on a couple of hellhounds than a pack of Centaurs.”</p>
<p>“I don’t suppose you still have that map?” Willow tried, and Amity sighed, shaking her head.</p>
<p>“Achilles took my backpack. I don’t have it anymore.”</p>
<p>“I don’t suppose your dad would have extra copies of the map?” Gus asked, and Amity hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek.</p>
<p>“He might.” Luz could tell from the look on her face though that she didn’t really want to go back to see her parents. After what Luz had heard about them, she didn’t blame her.</p>
<p>“Ok, then it’s an option. Options are good.” Luz said carefully, trying not to rock the boat. Her three friends nodded in agreement, and the four of them settled into a comfortable silence.</p>
<p>Luz found herself staring out the window as they passed through the American south. She realized this was the first time she’d ever been out of state. Her Mami had always wanted to take her to Disney Land when she was little, but because of all the weird things that’d happened to Luz, and her Mami’s busy work schedule, they’d never gotten the chance. Maybe now that she knew how to defend herself, they could go sometime when Luz saw her again.</p>
<p>Before she’d even realized what had happened, she’d dozed off around midmorning, tired from having the latest guard duty. Unfortunately for her, her dreams this time were not as pleasant as they had been from the previous night.</p>
<p>Luz was standing in the mountain, in front of Hestia’s cage. She was kneeling, and dark smoke was curling around her feet, blocking her from being able to look at Hestia. Before she could process what was happening, she had cold sharp metal pointed against her back. Luz couldn’t help but gasp, and cold hands wrapped around her shoulder, steadying her.</p>
<p>“I see you’ve been watching me, little hero. If you have no problem eavesdropping, then perhaps I should give you a glimpse into what you are about to experience.”</p>
<p>Chills ran up Luz’s spine at the cold voice of the mountain man, and when she looked at the hand grasping her shoulder, she realized it was completely gloved in the dark fabric. She couldn’t see any exposed skin.</p>
<p>The man jerked Luz to her feet, and she bit her tongue to stop herself from crying out in fear. She didn’t want to look weak, but the mountain man seemed to pick it up because he laughed. There was nothing warm about the gesture. It was cold, just as cold and dead as his voice.</p>
<p>Hestia’s eyes flashed in the darkness, letting Luz know she was there, but the man didn’t let her look much longer. He turned her away from the cage and towards the back wall, and Luz couldn’t stop the gasp that left her mouth.</p>
<p>Against the wall was what Luz could only recognize as a massive portal. It was made of dark obsidian gemstone shards and chunks of mix-matched metals and bricks stacked against it. Next to it was a table, with a bronze goblet sitting on top of it. On the top of the portal’s edges, there was a hearth glowing with red fire. Luz’s eyes widened. Hestia’s fire. Inside the portal, what Luz saw made her want to shrink away and hide forever.</p>
<p>It was a dark and barren landscape, with a black river flowing in the distance. There was a line of ashen and despondent people – no, spirits – floating by, but they acted like the portal didn’t exist at all. Luz felt the ground shake beneath her feet when she heard a ferocious growl, and the shadow of a three-headed dog bigger than some of the apartments in Manhattan glowered in the distance.</p>
<p>The Underworld.</p>
<p>“Not an encouraging sight, I know.” The man said silkily into Luz’s ear. Luz shivered, she hated when he did that. “I myself was subjected to this torment for far too long. It took long, hard, work, but I freed myself, and I will free others who are so much like you. Heroes, cheated of their lives and forced to suffer in the dark. Why would you try and stop something so good? Something that will cleanse this world and stop cheating out demigods of their chance to truly live?”</p>
<p>Luz couldn’t tear her eyes away. Fear and panic were racing up inside her quicker than she could control. The man seemed to sense this again because he hummed removing the point from Luz’s back. Finally tearing her eyes away, Luz spun sideways away from the portal and the man, looking at him in the face for the first time.</p>
<p>His face was completely covered by a gold mask with horns protruding the top of it. He had the white cloak on she’d seen in her last dream, and his eyes glowed an eerie and unnatural blue. In his right hand, he had a pure celestial bronze staff, sharpened at the end. Luz was once again paralyzed, too terrified to move or speak.</p>
<p>“I’ve seen this prophecy, Luz Noceda,” he said, his voice somehow right in her ear like she hadn’t gotten away from him. “One of your friends will die in this mountain, and you will be unable to stop me. Which one will it be? The daughter of Demeter? The son of Athena? Or… will it be the daughter of the love goddess who thought herself worthy enough to stop me on her own?”</p>
<p>Luz finally found her voice at the mention of her friends, and she snarled, stepping forward. But she might as well have tried to walk with cement up to her knees. Something was holding her back, keeping her in place.</p>
<p>“Leave my friends out of this,” she said, glaring daggers into his eyes. “We will stop you and free Hestia, and none of them are going to die while we do it.”</p>
<p>The man chuckled, turning her back away from Luz to look into the portal. “You better hurry then. You’ve already met Theseus and Orpheus, and the other girl knows from experience how strong and mighty Achilles is. Do you think you could take on hundreds of demigods who are also going to rise from the grave? Hestia can only hold on for so long, daughter of Hermes. You better hurry.”</p>
<p>Luz was snapped out of her nightmare by someone shaking her arm. When she woke up, she saw Amity leaning over her, her gold eyes wide in concern.</p>
<p> “Luz! Are you alright? You were moving around in your sleep.”</p>
<p>“That’s an understatement,” Gus said from next to her, clearly happy he hadn’t been the one to wake Luz up after their head collision the last time he’d tried. “You were yelling. We were getting some looks from the other passengers. But we’re here, so you better get up.”</p>
<p>“We’re here?” Luz shot up, almost colliding her foreheads with Amity’s. The daughter of Aphrodite yelped like Luz had shocked her again, recoiling with such a fierce blush it ran all the way to the tips of her ears. “How are we here? There’s no way I slept that long.”</p>
<p>“You looked tired, so we just let you sleep,” Willow said from next to her, already collecting her things. “We have to move though, Gus said he thinks he knows where we can restock on supplies.”</p>
<p>Luz blinked. “You do?”</p>
<p>A grin split across Gus’ face and he nodded. “I do! Follow me.”</p>
<p>They walked off the bus and Luz came face to face with downtown Denver. As Gus lead them down the busy streets, Luz realized it was now Monday morning and three days since they’d left camp. Foot traffic was pretty heavy, which meant nobody spared them any glances, except maybe Amity, who’s face flushed in embarrassment whenever somebody looked at her clothes. Luz felt guilty remembering she’d said they would find her new clothes in Kansas City and that they just hadn’t had the time.</p>
<p>Gus cut left and right down streets, and if Luz wasn’t paying attention she would have lost him for sure. Eventually, they passed down a busy mall looking area and Luz caught sight of a street sign that read “16<sup>th</sup> Street Mall”. There were no cars on this street, so Gus speed-walked down the middle of the walkway, and Luz was quickly starting to lose patience.</p>
<p>“Gus, where are we even going?”</p>
<p>“It’s around here somewhere, trust me!” Gus said certainly before his eyes widened in delight. “Here it is!”</p>
<p>They dipped right along the side of one of the building corners of a department store Luz hadn’t had time to read the name of when Gus stopped right in his tracks and Luz had to jerk to a halt not to hit them. Amity wasn’t fast enough, and she cried out in surprise and crashed into the back of Luz. Luz stumbled but managed to catch Amity’s hand and keep them both steady.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Amity said, and when her eyes locked onto their connects hands she blushed again. Behind them, she thought she heard Willow made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like a mix between surprise and understanding. Luz turned with a raised brow, but Willow must have seen it coming because she just smiled simply at Luz, wiping any expression off of her face.</p>
<p>Deciding she must have imagined it, Luz let go of Amity’s hand and Amity immediately used it to clutch her arm. Gus hadn’t noticed anything at all and was busy examining a spray-painted graffiti on the wall with narrowed eyes.</p>
<p>Luz looked at it and blinked. It was an owl, that looked just like the one above the door to Cabin Six. The Mark of Athena.</p>
<p>“There’s no way that can be a coincidence,” Luz said aloud, and Gus shushed her, clearly trying to focus. Luz quieted, deciding to just watch him instead.</p>
<p>Eventually, Gus ran his hand over the beak of the owl, and it glowed up white. Stumbling back with a grin on his face, the brick began to shift until there was a door. Whooping in excitement, Gus pulled on the handle, and it swung inwards, leading them inside.</p>
<p>“One of the children of Athena’s many on-the-go workshops,” Gus said with an excited grin. “After you!”</p>
<p>Luz and her friends made their way inside, and when she saw the interior of the workshop she couldn’t help but gasp in delight. It had everything a demigod could ever need. There was a fridge, counter space, and a stove in the back of the room, and cabinets above it. There was a set of four bunk beds lining the back wall, and a linen closet behind it. There were three huge workshop desks, packed to the brim with notes, maps, charts, and a blackboard that still had written equations on the wall. There was a bookshelf literally lined with books, and upon further examination, Luz realized that it was filling itself as she and her friends walked in.</p>
<p>As a matter of fact, everything seemed to be adjusting as they walked in. Certain maps vanished, a microwave appeared on the counter (Luz was especially excited about that), and next to her Amity literally shriek in delight when a wardrobe appeared full of clothes. She ran right towards it, taking a fresh shirt off of a hanger.</p>
<p>“Gus, what is this place?” Luz exclaimed in glee, doing a full circle around the room. Even as Luz talked, the room seemed to be adjusting. The walls went from white to grey, with a light blue accent wall behind the bunks. A larger zoomed-in map of Colorado appeared pinned next to the blackboard over the formulas. Willow opened the door to the fridge and started shuffling through it, pulling out trays of food that looked so fresh it might as well have been picked off the vine right before she pulled it out.</p>
<p>Gus had made his way right over to the fridge as well, and Luz remembered neither he or Willow had eaten yet today. He grabbed a can of Spite and popped the tab, taking a swig before responding to Luz.</p>
<p>“Children of Athena have known about these for decades, they were originally workshops used by our mom but then she abandoned them and left the locations for some of her kids. One of my siblings told me that there was one rumored here ages ago. The room will give you whatever you need within reason, and we should be able to restock all our supplies here for our quest. If we need to plan, this is the place to do it. Monsters won’t be able to find us here either, it’s enchanted with Athena’s protection. But we won’t be able to stay long, it’s meant to be a rest spot, not a permanent residence.”</p>
<p>Luz’s eyes had locked on the blackboard, and she moved closer to take a look. One side was still stacked with chalk and equations, some notes, and other things Luz could barely read, let alone understand. But on the right side of the board were little signatures and notes left by other demigods to show they had been there. Some of them were funny, and Luz laughed while reading them.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Spiders will not come into the workshop – this is fantastic news.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Malcolm, Julia, and Travis were here. Percy Jackson, unfortunately, was not.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“The fridge will not speak to you like Siri, don’t try”</em>
</p>
<p>At the very bottom right corner were the initials P+A drawn in awful handwriting around a heart. An arrow pointed up to the line where Percy Jackson was mentioned, and in chalk, there was an arrow above the line which read <em>“I am now”</em> with a crudely drawn smiley face sticking out its tongue.</p>
<p>“Luz! Are you going to come to eat?”</p>
<p>Luz turned and saw her friends all sitting around a little table that definitely hadn’t been there before. There was a tray of foods on the table, and someone had even grabbed her a lime soda out of the fridge. Grinning, she joined them, sitting down and noticing something odd about all the foods.</p>
<p>“Uh, Gus. Why are half of these foods vegetables?”</p>
<p>It was impossible not to notice. While most of the food was arranged in a charcuterie kind of style, with various meats and cheeses and crackers, there was an enormous variety of vegetables and dip. Gus flushed.</p>
<p>“Look, she might be a goddess but she’s still my mom. Even godly mothers want their kids to be eating healthily.”</p>
<p>Around the table, everybody laughed, and that didn’t stop Luz from digging in. As she was eating, she eyed Amity from across the table and smiled.</p>
<p>“You finally got some new clothes!”</p>
<p>She was now dressed in a long black shirt with sleeves that came to about her forearms and magenta leggings. Her camp necklace sat right above the shirt, and the amethyst pendant was now clearly visible. Her mood had clearly gotten much better too because she was grinning at Luz, clearly happy.</p>
<p>“Yep! It feels great. And I just looked next to the wardrobe, there's a bathroom back there with a real shower!”</p>
<p>The reaction was instant. Luz and her friends all gasped in delight, and Gus slammed his fist down on the table.</p>
<p>“I call going after Amity!”</p>
<p>“Hey!” Luz squawked, turning to him with a playful glare. “I’m a quest leader, so I should go after Amity.”</p>
<p>“You’re not allowed to use that against me!” Gus complained, crossing his arms. “I’m younger, so I should go first.”</p>
<p>“We’ll all have plenty of time.” Willow reasoned though she was smiling at the pair of them bickering. “We’re going to need some time to collect ourselves and plan our next move.”</p>
<p>Luz’s smile faded, and she swallowed nervously. “Right, about that.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath as her three friends turned to face her. While Willow and Gus were confused at the sudden tone change, Amity recognized the expression on Luz’s face right away because she paled.</p>
<p>“It’s about your dream, isn’t it?”</p>
<p>Luz nodded. “I saw the man in the mountain, Belos, and I know what his plan with Hestia is. He’s used her fire to create a portal to the Fields of Asphodel.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. A Talking Water Fountain Offers Us Some Guidance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again! Sorry for the delay, finals season is upon me which means I'm a little behind on writing for pleasure. I had to pump out three essays this week and I am horribly behind on notes, so fingers crossed I can keep updates steady. Things will be back to normal after the 17th, so expect more regular updates after that.</p><p>Things are going to start taking a turn towards character development for a little bit now that we're pretty far along with the plot. Hope that's ok! </p><p>Enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz filled in her friends on what she’d seen as quick as she could, and by the time she’d finished, Willow and Gus were pale, and Amity looked like she was going to be sick.</p><p>“That’s how those heroes have come back from the dead,” she concluded, and Luz nodded meekly, feeling smaller than she’d ever had before.</p><p>Luz was a confident person, but even she had no idea how they could stop literal undead Greek heroes from the past. They were just four teenagers. Luz couldn’t even drive yet. How were they supposed to destroy a literal portal to the afterlife? Her Mami had taken her to Catholic Church her entire life, she was still trying to wrap her head around God not being real (or... whatever complex realm existed for Him alongside Greek deities), never mind the whole Greek Underworld existing too.</p><p>“There’s no use worrying about it right now,” Willow tried, sensing everyone’s tension. “We should take a break and prepare for our next move, one step at a time.”</p><p>Luz nodded, eager to change the subject. “I’m definitely ok with not talking about this right now. My head hurts just thinking about it.”</p><p>“Then I’m going to shower,” Amity said getting to her feet. Luz nodded, shoveling a few grapes into her mouth. She swallowed, then called out after Amity as she opened one of the doors (that definitely hadn’t been there when they walked in).</p><p>“The three of us can gather up supplies for the rest of the quest while you do.”</p><p>Amity shot her a half-smile before she disappeared behind the door. Gus got up and took his dish to the sink, dropping them in and heading over to the desk where he began skimming through papers. Willow picked up a cracker and hummed under her breath, and Luz looked up at the sound. She was giving Luz a look that was almost too nonchalant to seem normal.</p><p>“You and Amity seem to be getting along a lot better now than you did at camp.”</p><p>Luz frowned immediately. Her stomach swirled with guilt. “I hope that’s alright, I know things in the past weren’t great between you two-”</p><p>“No, no!” Willow said quickly, holding up her hands. “That’s not what I meant. I meant what I said back in Kansas. We’re working on our stuff, that shouldn’t have anything to do with you two and your friendship. I was just noticing that you two seem close.”</p><p>“I mean… I guess we are, yeah.” Luz didn’t even realize she had reached up behind her head and was rubbing it nervously. Were her cheeks getting red? Why was she blushing? “I mean, we haven’t really been rivals or anything since the night of the skeleton attack, and we did save her so she’s kind of forced to be nicer to us. We had a talk in the tent yesterday and that kind of broke the ice between us…”</p><p>“You talked?” Willow said, now curious. “About what?”</p><p>Luz was at first not sure if Amity would like her sharing what Luz had told her, but she figured it would do no harm, if anything it would help Willow and Amity get along a little better. She told Willow about how they’d shared what ambrosia and nectar tasted like for them, but when she got to the part about Amity’s parents she froze, certain now she shouldn’t share that. Thankfully, Willow seemed to pick this up.</p><p>“I came in around that time, you don’t have to continue.”</p><p>“Well, then when you guys went to send a message to camp, we talked about the prophecy…”</p><p>She told Willow that story too, and when she finished, the Demeter camper looked stunned.</p><p>“What?” Luz asked, feeling self-conscious.</p><p>“Nothing! It’s just… Amity was never the kind of person to openly share her feelings like that,” Willow said, a small smile beginning to pull at her lips. “She must really trust you.”</p><p>Luz was sure she was bright red now. “I mean, I hope she’d trust me! We are kind of stuck in this mess together…”</p><p>“Luz, I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing,” Willow insisted, leaning forward to rest her hand over Luz’s. The demigod hadn’t even realized she was beginning to panic a little, not really understand what Willow was getting at. Willow gave her a reassuring smile.</p><p>“I just mean you should be happy that Amity trusts you. I’ve known her for five years, and I think right now she must be feeling really alone. I’m glad she has someone like you to confide in. Don’t you feel the same way?”</p><p>Luz wasn’t really sure what to think, not that that was unusual for her. The truth was Amity really confused her. When Luz was around her, she had all these intense emotions she couldn’t quite place, like the time Antheia had touched her shoulder and filled her to the brim with emotions. They weren’t bad, they were just overwhelming. She was certain Amity was feeling something similar because she had been so weird around Luz as of late. She kept getting all anxious and red, and Luz was terrified she was doing something wrong.</p><p>Maybe she should talk to her about it.</p><p>A pop from the corner of the room made Luz jump, nearly shooting up from the table as she was snapped out of her thoughts. In the other corner of the room, a water fountain had appeared out of nowhere. It was creating a misty rainbow, and from the other end of the water, a soft and soothing voice called out to Luz.</p><p>“You are receiving an incoming Iris Message,” it said, “sender: Eda Clawthorne, Camp Half-Blood.”</p><p>Willow shot up from the table so quickly, Luz launched backward in her chair and fell, landing with an uncomfortable thump. “Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please show this message.”</p><p>The fountain shimmered for a moment, and when Luz looked up from her spot on the floor her mouth dropped. There was Eda, all the way from camp, blinking her gold eyes at them. She looked just as she always did, in a red dress and boots, Owlbert perched on her shoulder, his eyes also blinking comically through the fountain. At her side, she also saw King who blinked his yellow eyes at the fountain, looking back at Eda with a narrowed frown.</p><p>“Is this thing on?”</p><p>“Yes, King.” She said shortly. “That’s why we can see the kids.”</p><p>“Eda!” Luz shot up from the ground and ran towards the fountain, arms outstretched. Eda’s eyes widened, but not in delight. In warning.</p><p>“Kid, don’t!”</p><p>“Luz, no!”</p><p>Gus managed to jump at her, throwing her back into the floor. Luz groaned in agony as she landed on her back for the second time.</p><p>“Ow! Gus, what the heck!”</p><p>“Sorry!” He said apologetically from on top of her. “But that’s an Iris Message, and it’s powered by the rainbow coming with the fountain. If you touch it with your hands it severs the connection.”</p><p>Luz’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and she slowly got to her feet. “Right, sorry.”</p><p>“You’re looking good, kid,” Eda said, and luz looked up at her mentor with a grin. She hadn’t seen Eda in days, and she hadn’t realized how badly she’d been missing her until she saw her reflection. “Travel suits you.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Luz said bouncing on her toes to try and work off some of her excitement.</p><p>“Sorry to just drop in on you kids, but I got work from Cabin Six that you had managed to find your way to an abandoned workshop in Denver, so I wanted to check-in and make sure you guys were alright.”</p><p>Gus, upon hearing this, brightened. “So the map works then?”</p><p>Eda chuckled. “Sure does.”</p><p>“Remember I told you guys Cabin Six knew vaguely about the locations of the workshops?” Gus said to them, and Willow and Luz nodded. “Well, it’s because we have a map of them in our cabin. Supposedly when a demigod “checks in” it’ll show their names on the map."</p><p>“All that stuff in the workshop that appears comes from somewhere,” Eda said with a smile. “Mainly camp, though I’m sure the wisdom goddess threw in a couple of those nice accessories for you. I’ve never seen that desk before.” Eda blinked in surprise, scanning the room. “or that fridge, or that stove. Or that wardrobe… Holy Zeus, she must really like you kids.”</p><p>She shook her head, something Luz knew meant that Eda was trying to stay focused.</p><p>“Anyways, I was told by Willow and Gus the other day that you’d found Amity. Where is she?”</p><p>“Taking a shower,” Luz supplied, and Eda nodded.</p><p>“I don’t blame her. But I’m glad she’s safe. The Blight Twins have been bugging me to ask about her so I’ll let them know she’s ok. But enough about that. I was doing a little research with Lily into your “resurrected heroes” issue. You should know that when heroes do escape the Underworld, their fatal flaw remains intact. You should use that against them in combat. Achilles has his heel of course, and you already severed the ties with Orpheus’ lyre. But Theseus’ flaw is not so easily breached.”</p><p>“What is it like a weak left arm or something?” Luz asked, and Eda chuckled.</p><p>“No, his isn’t physical. It’s his recklessness. He chose to confront you on the bus, without making sure Orpheus knew what his plan was. He likely chose rebirth without thinking of the consequences. Find out how to use that against him. I don’t know who this man in the mountain is, but if you want to beat him you have to beat his cronies first.”</p><p>Luz swallowed nervously, Eda narrowed her eyes.</p><p>“What, kid? Did something happen to you?”</p><p>Luz shook her head, before telling Eda about the dream, Belos, and the portal. Sometime during the story, Amity had come out of the shower. She was dressed in the fresh clothes she’d picked from the wardrobe, had her sword strapped to her belt, and her mint hair was still wet, hanging down near her shoulders. She waved hello to Eda, not wanting to interrupt Luz, and she grinned at Amity and whispered something to King, who took off and out of sight.</p><p>Luz tried not to get distracted from her story when Amity stood next to her. It was hard. Amity hadn’t looked so at peace in a long time, and she now smelled like fresh lavender and mint. Luz suddenly realized how desperately she needed a shower, but when Gus saw Amity he had squealed in delight and ran into the bathroom for his turn.</p><p>It took longer to tell the tale than she would have liked, but she did eventually finish. When she was done, Eda hummed, putting her finger to her lips.</p><p>“Belos. I haven’t heard that name in a long time.”</p><p>Willow leaned forward anxiously. “You know him?”</p><p>Eda shrugged. “I was just a teenager when he tried to seize Olympus when he was alive. He rallied a team of misunderstood demigod’s and tried to take Olympus by force. This was before gods had to claim their children, and before we had the minor gods cabins at camp. He was an unclaimed Hermes camper who wanted recognition, and freedom from the consequences that come with being a half-blood. He was struck down by my dad’s thunderbolts personally.”</p><p>Luz, Willow, and Gus winced. What a way to go.</p><p>“If he’s alive again, then he’s a real threat,” Eda said seriously. “I don’t know much about him, but I do know his godly parent. Hecate, the goddess of magic and necromancy.”</p><p>Next to her, Amity flinched like she’d been slapped.</p><p>“Well, now we know how he can raise people from the dead,” Willow mumbled under her breath.</p><p>“Magic, that would explain that mist that was surrounding me in my dream,” Luz said, and Amity swallowed hard next to her.</p><p>“And the snow when I was trying to get to him with Skara and Boscha.”</p><p>“It won’t be easy to beat him,” Eda said seriously. “But it’s not impossible. You have help if you need it. Luz, you still have that whistle?”</p><p>Luz nodded, clutching the string around her neck. Eda grinned.</p><p>“When you need it, it’ll work. Also, your siblings from the Hermes cabin have a message for you. Something about remembering your Hermes secrets?”</p><p>Luz felt a jolt run through her. The bag of tricks that Viney and Jerbo had given her! Eda chuckled at the look on her face.</p><p>“I’m not even going to ask. The point is, if you kids ever need a hand, just know that your family has your back.”</p><p>Luz felt herself start to get a little choked up. She really missed Eda. On Eda’s line, Luz heard a thundering of footsteps, and King had reappeared with Edric and Emira on the other end.</p><p>“Mittens!” They both shrieked when they saw her. They were both dressed in orange camp shirts, and it looked like they must have come from training because they were covered in sweat. Amity couldn’t help but smile when she saw her siblings, and that made Luz split into a grin of her own.</p><p>“And that’s my cue,” Eda said, chuckling. She reached into her pocket and handed the twins a couple of golden drachmae. “I have to head out. I’ll look into this mountain man for you kids and try and get ahold of you if I find anything.”</p><p>“Thanks, Eda!” Luz said, unable to fully express how happy she was to have seen her again. Next to her, Willow had snuck off for her turn in the shower as Gus came back into the office. Luz rolled her eyes. It was supposed to be her turn, but she couldn’t be mad at Willow.</p><p>“No problem, kid,” Eda said, and she turned tail and walked away with King at her heels. The Blight twins immediately began to bombard them with questions.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Emira asked with a frown, peering over to examine Amity as best she could.</p><p>“You’re not hurt right?” Edric added, leaning in as well.  </p><p>“No, I’m fine now,” Amity said with a roll of her eyes. “Luz and her friends rescued me and now I’m just healing up. But I’m almost back to 100%.”</p><p>“You have no idea how worried we were,” Emira said with a frown. Worry was such a weird look to see on the Blight twin’s face, Luz didn’t really know how to process it. She’d only ever seen them with smirks that screamed trouble, or a sly look that shared a similar sentiment. She realized she was starting, and Edric looked over at her, his face changing to glee.</p><p>“So I take it the chariot ride went alright then?” He said, and suddenly Luz was scowling.</p><p>“Yeah, thanks for that. We had to kill the white eagle in Cincinnati to pay your mom back.”</p><p>“A what?” Emira asked, confused. Amity rolled her eyes.</p><p>“She means the Caucasian Eagle,”</p><p>Edric howled with laughter, and Luz flushed, embarrassed. “It’s not funny! It could have killed us.”</p><p>“But it didn’t,” Emira singsonged, shooting Luz a wink. “You got mittens back and now you’re together and everything is all good.”</p><p>Luz felt her face start to heat up at what Emira said. It wasn’t like that, she didn’t get Amity <em>back</em>, she had just helped her out. And yes they were together but they weren’t like <em>together</em>. And Luz definitely wouldn’t call everything “all good”…</p><p>Next to her, Amity had flushed deep red, and the twins shared an absolutely ecstatic look that was probably the scariest thing Luz had ever seen.</p><p>“Emira, I get the feeling that everything is more than “all good” for mittens here…”</p><p>“Me too, Edric. In fact, I think this might be mitten’s preferred situation-”</p><p>“Shut up!” Amity spat, her face twisting into a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. Luz now felt uncomfortable, like she was intruding on a private conversation. Thankfully, Willow had now exited the bathroom, and Luz had an out.</p><p>“Nice talking to you guys and all,” Luz started, already walking backward. “But it’s my turn for a shower. I’ll see you guys back at camp when we’re done with this whole quest and everything.”</p><p>“Bye, Luz!” Edric grinned, waving to her.</p><p>“See you later, cutie,” Emira said with a knowing wink, and Luz felt her face heat up to dangerous levels. She couldn’t really place how, but she was starting to finally process that the children of Aphrodite were a lot scarier than they seemed at first glance.</p><p>Luz entered the bathroom and her mouth dropped. It was entirely white, with gold accents, and there was a massive shower right at the end of it. Next to Luz there was a spot she could put her clothes to have them washed and dried while she showered (Luz didn’t understand how that worked, but considering it was stamped with the Camp Half-Blood Pegasus logo she imagined it was some magic demigod stuff) and there was a double vanity on the other side with a basket on top stuffed with toiletries. Her Mami would have let them live in this bathroom if they could have.</p><p>The shower wasn’t wet, despite her friends having used it beforehand, which Luz didn’t understand but it just made the whole experience a thousand times better. By the time she stepped out, she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt cleaner in her entire life. She used the deodorant in the vanity, (it was Luz’s favorite scent, so she was starting to realize the bathroom had reset after each use and accustomed based on what demigod used it) the body moisturizer, and the toner and moisturizer that was clearly set aside for her face. She brushed her teeth and combed out her wet hair, which was already drying thanks to it being so short, and even used the body spray. It was musky and smelled a bit like the cedar trees that grew in Amherst near her Abuela's house.</p><p>She put back on her, now clean, clothes and shoes, and packed the toiletries in her backpack to use later. She made sure <em>Aletheia </em>was secure on her finger and she exited the bathroom, feeling better than she had in weeks.</p><p>She was greeted by an unusually quiet workshop. Willow and Gus were nowhere to be seen, and Amity was sitting in a comfortable looking leather armchair next to the bookcase, flipping the pages of a novel.</p><p>“Amity?”</p><p>The demigod looked up, her gold eyes focusing on Luz. Her cheeks pinked, and she waved awkwardly.</p><p>“Hey, how was your shower?”</p><p>“Fantastic!” Luz grinned, heading towards her. “Where are Willow and Gus?”</p><p>“My siblings said Eda and Lilith sent us some money to the post office near here. They went to go pick it up.”</p><p>“That’s good,” Luz said with a smile. “It’ll be a lot easier planning our next move when we don’t have to worry too much about cash.” As she got close enough to see what Amity was reading, her eyes widened.</p><p>“Are you reading “The Good Witch Azura”?”</p><p>Amity’s cheeks reddened. “Uh, yeah?”</p><p>“That’s my favorite series ever!” Luz squealed in excitement, leaning down to Amity to see what she was reading. She was so close she could smell the mint again.“Oh, you’re at the Bog of Immediate Regret! That’s such a cool chapter.”</p><p>When Luz looked up, Amity’s face was so red Luz was worried she was going to pass out. She had leaned as far away as she could from Luz and held up her hands in surprise. Luz recoiled, putting her hands on the arm of the chair apologetically.</p><p>“Sorry, I just really love Azura and Hecate's backstory.”</p><p>“It’s alright!” Amity squeaked, and Luz rubbed her neck in embarrassment. She always had a way of making kids her age feel awkward, and one of those ways was by constantly rambling about her favorite books or anime. She didn’t want to scare Amity off. Something about her demeanor must have changed because Amity suddenly frowned.</p><p>“Luz, really, it’s ok.” She tried for a smile. “I love their backstory too. It’s my favorite series, I’ve been reading them since they came out.”</p><p>Luz leaned forward again, her hesitation forgotten. “No way! What do you think of the new one?”</p><p>Amity frowned. “New one? I’ve only read up to the fourth book.”</p><p>Luz gasped dramatically, holding her hand over her heart. “What? The new one dropped this summer and it’s so good! I have it at home. I wish it was here.”</p><p>Just like that, and end table appeared next to the leather chair Amity was sitting in, with the newest copy of “The Good Witch Azura”, and Luz whooped in excitement, picking it up and flipping the page. She looked inside the cover and awed. It was her copy from her bookshelf at home. Her name was scribbled in scraggily font on the inside cover.</p><p>“Here,” Luz said, handing it to Amity. “You can borrow my copy and tell me what you think.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Amity took the book like it was made of glass.</p><p>“Of course!” Luz insisted, pushing it into her hands. “You have to let me know what you think. I’ve never had any friends to talk about Azura with before. We should start a little book club together!”</p><p>Amity took the book and stared at it for a few moments, before looking up at Luz with a smile. Her eyes were glowing with gratitude, and the look made Luz’s heart practically leap out of her chest. She loved seeing Amity look so happy.</p><p>“Ok, thank you.”</p><p>Luz was going to ask Amity to start reading and see what she thought of the first chapter, but suddenly the door was open to the workshop, and Willow and Gus were walking back in, with a very nervous look on their faces. Luz immediately frowned, stepping forward.</p><p>“What’s going on?” She caught sight of their panic and her own eyes narrowed. “Who hurt my babies?”</p><p>“It’s not us we’re worried about,” Willow said quickly, her eyes flickering back between Luz and Amity.</p><p>“Amity, your mother is sitting in the café across the street.”</p><p>Amity immediately froze up, her eyes widened in panic. “My… mother? Which one?”</p><p>Gus’ eyes were wide like he’d just seen a ghost. Or a monster. Or maybe something much, much, worse.</p><p>“Your godly one. She called us over on the way back from the post office. She wants to talk to you and Luz.”</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Amity's Mom Has Got it Going On</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everybody, hope you're all doing well! I'm back with another chapter. You guys seemed to love the last one, so hopefully, this one is just as ok. I haven't gotten around to responding to your comments just yet, so bear with me as I go through them once this one is posted.</p><p>I ended up having to split this chapter into two. There was so much happening it felt like it didn't do the chapter justice to have it all uploaded at once. I hope you enjoy it regardless! I had so much fun writing Aphrodite. </p><p>Thanks again for sticking with me through 70,000 words of total chaos. Enjoy!! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Willow had dragged Luz aside right before they left. Amity was talking lowly to Gus by the workshop, and Luz was going to join them until Willow had started talking so quickly Luz wasn’t sure what to think.</p><p>“Don’t talk to Aphrodite unless spoken to, don’t look her too long in the eyes, try to keep your composure, whatever you do don’t give her any reason to have a problem with you.” Willow was gripping her shoulders so hard it was starting to hurt, and Luz’s eyes were wide in panic at the intense stare she was getting from her.</p><p>“Wait, what? Why do I have to remember all that?”</p><p>“She’s a goddess, Luz,” Willow said impatiently, which was so unlike her Luz just shut her mouth closed. Willow sighed, releasing her grip.</p><p>“Sorry, but this isn’t Antheia. You have to be very careful. Major Goddesses don’t just seek out demigods. Whatever she wants from you two can’t be good.”  </p><p>Luz’s brow furrowed. “But she’s Amity’s mom! I mean she can’t be all that bad-”</p><p>“Luz, please,” Willow begged. “I’m only telling you this because you have a tendency to underestimate just how serious the gods are. Just follow Amity’s lead for this one. She’ll know how to handle her mom better than anybody else.”</p><p>Luz slowly nodded, before promising to Willow that Amity would be the one to take charge. She still didn’t really understand why meeting Aphrodite could be so serious, but then she looked over and saw Amity biting her lip nervously and it slowly dawned on her. She had always underestimated the children of Aphrodite and been proven wrong by the Blight siblings more than once. This was her real deal mother. Maybe Willow had a point.</p><p>Luz walked over to Amity and tapped her shoulder, which made her jump and spins around. Her face flushed when she saw Luz looking at her.</p><p>“Are you ready to go?” Luz said, and Amity nodded.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah let’s go. Probably shouldn’t keep her waiting.”</p><p>“We’ll wait right here if you need us,” Willow said, and Gus nodded fervently tapping his wristwatch with a smile.</p><p>“If you need help just run right back and we’ll cover you.”</p><p>“We’ll be fine guys,” Luz said confidently, but for the first time on this whole quest, her words seemed to just make everyone more nervous. Gus hummed, Willow bit her lip nervously, and Amity’s face was so pale she looked like she was going to be sick.</p><p>“Let’s just get this over with,” she mumbled, adjusting the sword on her belt before heading for the exit. Luz followed her, frowning. She was still new to this whole half-blood thing, but she’d been wondering what her dad was like her whole life. She found it odd that Amity didn’t seem excited, and instead seemed to be dreading it.</p><p>Maybe it had something to do with her parents… her human ones anyway.</p><p>The streets of Denver were still lively with the heat of the late afternoon summer. Luz and Amity were walking in the direction Willow and Gus had instructed them: apparently, Aphrodite was waiting in the indie café across the main street.</p><p>As they walked, Luz stole a glance at Amity. The girl had a weary look of exhaustion that Luz was just becoming accustomed to her having. Luz couldn’t help but mimic the expression. Despite them being the same age, Luz realized how much older Amity seemed in comparison to her. Like she was already weighed down with the responsibilities of an adult and it was taking a physical toll on her body. Not that Amity wasn’t pretty… she definitely was. She had sharp symmetrical features that Luz had always wished she’d had and well defined half-blood muscles that could cut glass.</p><p>She had just looked so much prettier earlier in the workshop when she wasn’t as burdened by everything going on around them. When Luz had handed her the book, her cheeks were flushed and she had given Luz that little smile that was still ingrained in her brain. Her gold eyes had flashed with affection and Luz couldn’t help but smile back.</p><p>Luz froze immediately, unable to stop the physical shake of her head. What in Zeus’ name did she think she was doing? She had to focus.</p><p>Next to her, Amity shot her a look. “Luz, are you alright?”</p><p>“Fine! Just peachy!” Luz said, definitely too quick to seem casual. Amity quirked a brow but said nothing. They fell back into their silence, but now Luz’s mind couldn’t help but keep whirling.</p><p>The moment they’d had in the workshop felt like ages ago already. Luz had thought she was helping break down some of Amity’s walls, but every time they were alone she was always so distant like she couldn’t get out of her own head. Now Luz was doing the exact same thing, she could tell by the warm rush she felt in her cheeks.</p><p>Luz couldn’t bear the awkward silence anymore.</p><p>“So, have you ever met your mom before?” She asked, wringing her hands together. She always did that when she was nervous. Luz’s face got redder and redder. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden?</p><p>She hadn’t even realized how insensitive the question probably was until it was out of her mouth, and she closed it in embarrassment. She remembered Willow and Gus telling her most goldy parents didn’t just talk to their kids for no reason.</p><p>Amity, thankfully, seemed too weirded out by Luz’s awkward behavior to take it personally. “Once. Ed, Em, and I went to Olympus for the grand reveal when our parents finished a big project. I don’t remember what it was… I was only seven. Something to do with the Mist I think? Anyway, Aphrodite managed to pull the three of us aside. I didn’t know who she was at the time. She introduced herself, and then she gave the three of us each a gift.”</p><p>Luz’s interest had peaked. She turned to Amity in excitement. “Really? What was it?”</p><p>“Emira got a rose quartz pendant, and Edric got lapis lazuli.” Amity tapped her camp necklace, specifically the amethyst pendant around the middle. “She gave me this. In ancient times, amethyst was said to transform negativity into positive energy. It supposedly helps with controlling anger, fear, and anxiety. Aphrodite called it the stone of condensed passion.”</p><p>Luz couldn’t help but chuckle. “The stone of condensed passion? That sounds a lot like you.”</p><p>Amity’s face blushed a deep red. “What’s that supposed to mean?”</p><p>Luz blinked, her own face heating up. She tried to backpedal. “I just mean like… you know you have a lot of layers to you. Like Shrek!”</p><p>Amity’s face quickly turned dangerous. “Are you making fun of me?”</p><p>“Not Shrek, Shrek!” Luz said quickly, now mortified. “Like you don’t look like an ogre or anything, you’re so pretty-”</p><p>Luz needed to stop talking. Like right now, before she embarrassed herself more than she already had been. Zeus, this was terrible. It was starting to feel a lot like the Maya situation all over again-</p><p>Now Luz had startled herself so badly, she jerked to such a quick halt the couple walking behind them had to lunge out of the way. Thankfully Amity had already skidded to a stop as well, her face starting to resemble a fire truck. But Luz’s head was spinning, and she couldn’t process that. All she could think about was how much this was reminding her of Maya and she needed to catch her breath.</p><p>She was breathing so quickly she thought she might hyperventilate. She hadn’t thought about that mess in almost five months, but now she couldn’t even look at Amity without feeling like her brain would melt right through her body.</p><p>She pressed her back against the brick wall of the shop next to them, trying to calm herself down. After a few moments, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes, and Amity was staring back at her, her face hesitant, but also reassuring.</p><p>“Luz, are you sure you’re okay?”</p><p>Luz took a deep breath and put on her best smile. “Yeah, I’m alright.”</p><p>It wasn’t exactly a lie, she was feeling a lot better now that she had taken a couple of breaths. But Amity didn’t need to know about all that yet. Especially if… this was something similar.</p><p>“I’m sorry, please just forget about… that whole Shrek thing,” Luz pleaded, her face twisting apologetically. “I don’t think before I speak sometimes.”</p><p>“You don’t think before you speak all the time,” Amity scoffed, but her tone wasn’t mean, it was light and meant to cheer her up. It worked too, because Luz laughed, the panic beginning to subside.</p><p>Amity gently squeezed Luz's shoulder. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to push you if you need a minute, but my mom won’t be happy if we keep her waiting any longer.”</p><p>Luz shook her head. “I’m alright. You’re right. We need to go. Is that the café there?”</p><p>Luz pointed across the street at a café she had seen walking through the city yesterday but hadn’t had time to process. It was a cute little green and white café with an outdoor patio, surrounded by pretty décor and a chalkboard menu outside.</p><p>Amity scanned the patio, and Luz saw her inhale sharply. Her gaze was locked on a woman sitting alone, with two empty chairs across from her.</p><p>“Yeah, this is it. She’s sitting in the far corner there.”</p><p>Luz turned her head to look more closely, but before she could, Amity reached over and grabbed her hand. It was such a tight grip, it made Luz wince.</p><p>“Luz, just be careful, ok? Her children can see through her glimmer, but I don’t know how her appearance will affect you.”</p><p>Luz furrowed her brow, but she could tell by the urgency in her expression that Amity didn’t have time to answer her questions. So instead, she just smiled.</p><p>“Yeah, ok. I’ll be careful and stay focused.”</p><p>Amity smiled, but Luz was almost certain it was forced. “Well, I don’t know if you’re ready but we are literally out of time. Let’s go.”</p><p>Amity dropped Luz’s hand, and Luz wiped it on the side of her pants, doing her best to ignore the tingle she’d felt when Amity held it. Taking a deep breath, she headed across the street with Amity to meet Aphrodite.  </p><p>As they crossed the street, Luz was so focused on trying to, well, stay focused, she was watching her feet as she crossed the street, which likely could have killed her if Amity wasn’t walking pace by pace with her. As they passed towards the café, Luz heard the most beautiful voice she had ever heard.</p><p>“Ah, finally. Hello again, daughter. It is so good to see you. And this must be Luz Noceda. You’re big news up on Olympus right now. Please, sit down.”</p><p>Amity tensed at her words, but walked forward and pulled out one of the chairs, and sat. Luz went to do the same, but as she did she looked up to see the face of the love goddess for the first time.</p><p>Her beauty alone was so radiant Luz’s knees almost buckled out, and she forgot everything all at once. She was perfect: literally, anything you could ever find attractive about a person, she had. Luz was mesmerized upon first glance. Luz wanted to look everywhere at once, but every time she tried, it was like her appearance changed.</p><p>“Oh my,” the goddess said with a smile as Luz’s mouth involuntarily dropped open in awe. “Isn’t she sweet?”</p><p>“Luz!” Amity said from next to her. She was definitely frustrated with Luz, but it sounded so far away to her, and she had already zeroed back in on Aphrodite.</p><p>First, she looked like the first-grade teacher she’d had a crush on, with dark hair and perfect brows. Then, she looked like a real-life version of Azura, which was so strange but so captivating Luz couldn’t look away. Then… then she saw an older version of Maya. That one hurt, and Luz knew Aphrodite could see it too. The love goddess chuckled, flashing white teeth, and the appearance of it shocked Luz so bad she tunneled straight back into the present. When Aphrodite smiled, she looked just like Amity. Luz was doing her best not to focus on it, but she swore her hair was changing back into the mint green color it had been when she looked like Azura.</p><p>Her cheeks pinked when she realized what had just happened. Amity was shaking Luz, and she swallowed in embarrassment. So much for staying focused.</p><p>“Uh, sorry. I’m sorry, Lady Aphrodite. My apologies for my behavior.” She looked down and away at the napkin on the table, anything to not have the love goddess change form again.</p><p>Aphrodite laughed, and Luz felt her heartbeat accelerate. Aphrodite’s laugh could have been Amity’s. In fact, it was scarily similar to when Amity had laughed in the tent back in Kansas.</p><p>Luz pinched herself. Focus. She looked back up at the goddess, and thank Zeus she had changed form. She was still drop-dead gorgeous (which even then was an understatement) but it now looked like ethereal beauty, not anything too specific.</p><p>“No, no, don’t apologize. I’m flattered, Luz.” Aphrodite said, winking at her. “And you’re affected by my charms. This is good news for you, daughter.”</p><p>Luz’s brow furrowed in confusion, and next to her, Amity choked.</p><p>“I’m sorry, my lady,” Luz frowned. “I don’t understand.”</p><p>Aphrodite looked at Luz slowly, up and down like she was a barbie doll in a toy aisle. It made her viscerally uncomfortable, but she tried not to show it. Willow had told her to be careful. After a moment, Aphrodite smiled brightly.</p><p>“You will, daughter of Hermes,” she just said. Luz knew it would be stupid to ask any more questions, though now her brain was hurting so badly she just wanted to go. She stole a glance over at Amity, and her eyes widened. The girl looked like a mix of furious and embarrassed, her cheeks puffed out a bright red, and her hands shaking. Aphrodite caught the look, and tisked, nodding her head.</p><p>“I suppose that is irrelevant right now, though, in my opinion, these things are never irrelevant.” She said, folding her hands over the table. “Regardless, I didn’t call you here to meddle. The gods have taken a deep interest in your quest. Though some would never admit it, Hestia is a greater glue to Olympus than we originally thought. With every day that passes, our powers get weaker. It is in our best interest to assist you mortals wherever we can.”</p><p>“Pardon me, my lady, but if Hestia is so important, then why wouldn’t a god or goddess go looking for her?” Luz asked, and Aphrodite tilted her head humorously.</p><p>“We cannot find her. Mount Pelion has always been a safe haven for demigods, dear Luz. If a demigod does not wish to be found, there are few places safer than that mountain to go. Belos is despicable, but he is not daft.”</p><p>“We’re already heading up Mount Pelion soon,” Amity said slowly, “Surely, mother, you would not call me here if you didn’t mean to assist us. What did we do to deserve such an honor from the love goddess herself?” Luz looked at her in surprise, despite her smooth words, her tone was out of place, and frosty. Luz was enamored by the way Amity was watching Aphrodite. It was almost cautious like she didn’t trust her. Luz knew she should let Amity speak from now on. This was her mother, and Luz would be lying if she said she wasn’t terrified of Aphrodite’s effects on her.</p><p>Aphrodite hummed, and Luz realized she was eyeing Amity with interest like she wasn’t sure to make out of her daughter either. “I know I must seem foreign to you. Most of my children, and other goldy children, feel this way. But I promise I am looking out for you the best I can with the cards Olympus has been dealt. I have much faith in your quest. Your friend Luz already knows this.”</p><p>The realization dawned on her. “Antheia told me you had favored me.”</p><p>The twinkle in Aphrodite’s eye couldn’t be missed. It was like they were literally shining. “I have always admired heroes with a strong heart, fueled by love. You, Luz Noceda, have more love in your heart than… my my, maybe Paris of Troy? Regardless, it is about time we had a hero whose greatest strength was their heart. These stories are often the most passionate.”</p><p>“Or the most tragic,” Amity deadpanned, and Aphrodite shrugged her shoulders, which should not have looked as elegant as it did.</p><p>“Maybe because it has yet to be done right. That is why I want to help. If you don’t want to accept my help, that is fine. I don’t mind tragedies either.”</p><p>Amity stilled, and Luz turned to meet her gaze. It was clear by her expression that Amity was very uncomfortable with this, but Luz could also tell that they didn’t have much of a choice. From what Luz gathered, Amity’s mom didn’t seem like the type of girl to just accept an easy no.</p><p>“What kind of help are you offering?” Amity said slowly, and Aphrodite hummed, leaning closer. Luz had to stop breathing just to not get too intoxicated by the scent of her perfume. It reminded her of the smell of saltwater at camp when she would sit by the water with Willow and Gus, as well as the camp’s pine trees… and something else. Mint?</p><p>“I know the first map up the mountain failed you, and that is because Belo’s used his magical abilities to twist it to his advantage. You cannot rely on any old object to guide you up the mountain. But you can rely on a godly item.”</p><p>Amity’s lips were pursed, but she didn’t shut Aphrodite down. Probably because she couldn’t but Luz was leaning in with interest.</p><p>“The Centaurs at Mount Pelion still trust the gods. If you showed up with a blessed object, they would not be able to refuse to help you, lest they wish to infuriate us. If you showed up with a second object, they would have no choice but to treat you as godly kin. You might have the help of an ally on your quest to destroy Belos and the portal to the Underworld.”</p><p>“Where are we going to find godly objects in Colorado?” Amity asked, and Aphrodite grinned so brightly Luz almost passed out.</p><p>“Well, you already have one. And I just happen to know the location of a second. The University of Denver has a lot of old Greek weapons in its Classics department. There, you’ll find Peleus’ shield. Take it, and use it on your quest.”</p><p>“You want us to break into a university and steal an artifact?” Luz exclaimed, and though it definitely wasn’t polite, Aphrodite thankfully let it slide.</p><p>“I just happened to have already created the perfect cover story. The local high school is holding their prom in one of the Universities Facilities not that far from the Classic’s department. Attend the prom, and then sneak out and steal the shield.”</p><p>“So you want us to attend a prom, break into the university, and steal one of their artifacts?” Amity repeated back with a scowl, and Aphrodite beamed.</p><p>“Exactly.”</p><p>Luz felt her stomach begin to swell in excitement. She’d never gone to a school dance before, not after… well. It didn’t matter. She was going to attend one tonight, even if it was fake. And she would get to do it with friends!</p><p>“This is so exciting, Amity!” Luz squealed, squeezing her friend's forearm eagerly. “We’ll have to hurry back to pick out what we’re going to wear from the magic wardrobe.” Luz’s smile began to dwindle. “Do you think Athena’s wardrobe can do that?”</p><p>Aphrodite snapped her perfectly manicured fingers together once. “Don’t worry about that. I just had four outfits sent to the wardrobe for you four to wear tonight. You’ll find them labeled. They should all be according to your style…” She turned to Luz with a smile that was all too knowing to be human. “And as much as I liked your vision of a prom outfit, you’ll want to blend in tonight. I adore the tutu, but it’s quite flashy for a heist. I think what I picked should still suit you very nicely.”</p><p>Luz blushed. How did Aphrodite know she’s always wanted to wear a tutu to a school dance?</p><p>“Mother, we haven’t agreed to anything yet,” Amity said quickly, “we still need to discuss with Willow and Gus to decide if this is the right course of action.”</p><p>Aphrodite sighed. “You worry too much, dear. As a goddess I can assure you, this is the best move you have going forward. Unless you’d like to gamble with being hunted for sport by centaurs.”</p><p>Luz flinched and turned to look at Amity pleadingly. Amity still didn’t look sure, but after looking at Luz’s desperate eyes for a couple of moments, she eventually conceded.</p><p>“Alright, fine. But I hope whatever you picked out for me isn’t too intense. It’s not like when you claimed me, right?”</p><p>“Please,” the love goddess scoffed. “Your blessing was some of my best work. But no, like I told Luz, I made everything… more subtle.”</p><p>Amity didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t get much of a chance to say anything else about it.</p><p>“Alright, then. You two better get going, you only have five hours to get ready which is barely enough time in my opinion.” Aphrodite got up, waving her hand and leaving a healthy amount of cash on the table. “Take the change for your trouble, dears. It’s always nice catching up with my children. I look forward to seeing how your quest plays out.”</p><p>Amity grumbled something under her breath and picked up the cash on the table, stuffing half of it into her pocket. Aphrodite chuckled at her daughter one more time, before casting Luz a wink, speaking so quietly Luz was certain only she could hear it.</p><p>“And Luz, save Amity a dance at the Prom tonight, will you? That girl needs to lighten up a little bit.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. We Crash Hexside High's Junior Prom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello hello, everybody and welcome back to another chapter of whatever I decided to write for this fanfiction :) This chapter is a little all over the place, and I couldn't fit in everything I wanted so the brunt of the heist will be the next chapter. </p><p>Sorry for the wait btw, school is killer right now. Hopefully, this chapter makes up for it. It's a long one, so I hope that's okay! :)</p><p>Without further ado... I hope you enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amity left the café in a more than sour mood. She practically stomped the whole way back to the hideout. Luz watched her warily, not really knowing what to say. She had thought Aphrodite had been really nice, all things considered. She had no idea why Amity was so upset.</p><p>Eventually, she tried to talk to her. “Your mom was pretty cool, Amity.”</p><p>Amity spun around, her anger now directed onto Luz, and she flinched. Her eyes were murderous.</p><p>“Uh…” Luz held up her hands, terrified. “Or not?”</p><p>Something changed in Amity’s face, and she deflated. “Sorry, Luz. I’m not angry at you. I just… I didn’t realize how much my siblings were like my mom. That whole conversation was a little overwhelming.”</p><p>“It’s alright, Amity,” Luz said with a smile. “You haven’t seen your mom in like seven years. It makes sense that you didn’t know what to expect.”</p><p>Amity scoffed. “That’s an understatement.”</p><p>Luz nudged her with her shoulder, unable to keep the grin off her face. “But hey, on the bright side, this could be a pretty fun side quest.”</p><p>Amity looked at Luz with something that read somewhere between disbelieving and amused. “A side quest?”</p><p>Luz nodded eagerly. “Yeah! Like Azura and Hecate. They go on side quests all the time. It’s what makes an adventure an adventure!” She leaned lower to the ground, waggling her eyebrows playfully.</p><p>“Luz and Amity, joined by their fearless demigod friends tackle another impossible mission: The Heist of the High School Prom! Will they succeed, and continue on their great quest to save Olympus? Or will they be unable to recover the artifact and be forced to continue their quest empty-handed?”</p><p>Amity rolled her eyes, but she was unable to keep the smile off her face. “You’re ridiculous.”</p><p>“But am I wrong?” Luz teased, and Amity laughed. Luz felt her stomach swell as she watched Amity chuckle to herself. But then she was reminded right away of how similar Aphrodite’s laugh had been to Amity’s.</p><p>Luz swallowed nervously. She had a feeling she had missed something really obvious during the chat with Aphrodite, and she was starting to think she knew what, but every time she started to consider them she was painfully reminded about what happened last time. Clearing her throat nervously, she felt relief wash over her when she realized they were back at the workshop.</p><p>“Guys!” Gus greeted them gleefully as they entered. He was holding up a suit bag, his face split into a wide grin. “My mom sent us formal wear!”</p><p>“Not your mom,” Luz said, unable to mask her own excitement. “Aphrodite. We’re going on a heist!”</p><p>“What?” Willow asked, frowning. She had opened the fridge and had been working on fixing up some dinner for the four demigods, (it looked pretty good: she wondered if being the goddess of the harvest boosted the quality of her cooking, those sweet potatoes looked fantastic) and waved for them to sit down at the table. Luz popped the top of a lime soda, sitting down next to Amity and Willow while Gus practically threw the suit bag on the worktable to sit down.</p><p>Luz launched into the story about meeting Aphrodite while they ate, skipping over a few details, like how she wasn’t able to focus, or the weird things Aphrodite said about Amity and Luz. She wouldn’t even know how to start that conversation normally, and since she was still trying to piece it together herself, she just cut to the mission.</p><p>“Awesome!” Gus said when she finished, “Peleus’ shield is supposed to be magical as well. So if that’s what we’re going after, then Luz’s sword is probably the other magical item that Aphrodite said goes with it.”</p><p>Luz blinked. She hadn’t thought of that. Her hand reached over to hover over <em>Aletheia</em>. While she loved her sword, she had never been good at using a shield at camp. Maybe it would be different when they found the sword.</p><p>“We’re going to need a plan, and Aphrodite gave us a good cover story,” Amity said, her face pinched in annoyance at the mention of her mother. “But that’s not going to be enough to get to the shield.”</p><p>Gus hummed. “I’ll work something out when we get there. Until then, everybody should just pretend this is a normal prom.”</p><p>“Gus is right,” Willow added, reaching into the wardrobe to pull out a dress bag. It had a sticky note that was labeled with her name. “Blend in, mingle, act like the other kids. It’s our best shot at keeping our real mission discreet.”</p><p>“Alright!” Luz cheered, pumping her fist in the air. “We’re going to prom!”</p><p>The four of them broke off on their own to get ready. Willow and Amity called first dibs on the bathroom, which suited Luz and Gus just fine. Luz walked toward the wardrobe and picked up the garnment bag that was labeled “LUZ” and tentatively brought her hand to the zipper.</p><p>It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Aphrodite to pick out something good for Luz, after all, she was the goddess of beauty. And she had seen what Luz always wanted to wear to a dance. Luz had just always struggled to pick something to wear that she liked. Her style was pretty hard to shop for.</p><p>When she peeked inside the garment bag, she practically squealed in delight. It was perfect. She couldn’t wait for her turn to use the bathroom to change. Like, well, magic, a changing curtain appeared immediately around her, with a full-length mirror and end table to her right.</p><p>Gods bless Athena.</p><p>Luz didn’t think she had ever changed so fast in her life. Once she buttoned up her clothes, Luz used the conveniently placed workshop mirror to get ready, her back to Gus, who got ready on the other side of the room. She used her brush and some gel to slick her hair back and she rummaged around the drawers until she found an unopened mascara and blush. She didn’t love makeup, but she figured this was just the right amount for her to wear to a prom.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, she looked in the mirror. Once she caught sight of her reflection, she couldn’t look away, a huge smile spreading across her face.</p><p>At first glance, she had thought her suit was black, but now that she looked at it she realized it was actually a midnight blue, that had been altered to fit her like a glove. Her dress shirt was silvery-white, and she had a dark maroon suit vest paired with a matching bowtie. Aphrodite had even given her an additional matching set of black leather oxfords (with a bit of a heel to add about an inch of height) and a belt. She did a spin, her heart hammering in excitement. She looked so regal and mature… she easily could have passed for sixteen or seventeen.</p><p>It was so, so, perfect. Aphrodite was right: she hadn’t needed the tutu after all. She could get used to this.</p><p>She looked over to the garment bag to make sure she didn’t miss anything when she saw something at the bottom and frowned. She reached in and pulled out two little boxes, and gently opened them. She gasped, her eyes widening.</p><p>A matching corsage and boutonniere, in the same dark maroon as her vest and bowtie. The flower was burgundy and light grey, and was so sleek Luz was shocked it was real. She opened the boutonniere and carefully pinned it to her jacket. Aphrodite must have made a mistake, there was no reason she needed both. She stuck it into the pocket of her suit pants, deciding she would worry about it later.</p><p>Once she had decided she was done, the makeshift changing room melted away around her, disappearing. She turned around to see Gus dressed and ready as well. He was wearing a perfectly fitted deep green suit with a silver dress shirt, and he had tucked his camp necklace under his shirt collar and was fiddling with a bow tie around his neck. His tongue was sticking out of his mouth in focus, but when he saw Luz he stopped in his tracks and whistled.</p><p>“Woah, look at you.”</p><p>“Look at you!” Luz replied, but her face was pinking in delight. She fiddled with the cuffs of her jacket, and Gus chuckled.</p><p>“Aphrodite must have known our sizes because these are practically tailored to us.”</p><p>Luz couldn’t help but agree. She wondered if Aphrodite could size a person’s… well, size… just by looking at them.</p><p>“Guys! You can use the bathroom now… oh, never mind,” Willow popped her head out of the bathroom, and her face split into an ecstatic grin when she saw them, and she made her way towards them. “You two look fantastic!”</p><p>Aphrodite had given Willow an off the shoulder green mid-length dress that puffed out at the hips, the waistband wrapped in a color that was an elegant gold. She had never seen Willow wear makeup, but she was wearing dark green eye makeup and pink lipstick that Luz thought suited her well. She had kept her camp necklace on, and had been given a pair of small gold hoops that matched the gold band. She was also wearing gold flats, with a supportive band at the bottom. Perfect footwear for a heist.</p><p>Luz’s grin returned, “Thanks! I love your dress. Green really is your color.”</p><p>Willow blushed, waving her hand embarrassingly. “Aw, shucks.”</p><p>“She’s right, Willow,” Gus said with a grin. “Look, we’re even matching.” He snapped his fingers like he had just figured out a puzzle, and reached into his garment bag. “Here, I have a corsage that matches our outfits. We must be each other’s prom dates as a cover story.”</p><p>Willow awed and took the corsage from him. It was a green and white flower that matched both their outfits perfectly. Willow put hers around her wrist, and Gus pinned his right where Luz had pinned hers. When they finished, they beamed, giving each other a thumbs up.</p><p>“Looking good!” Gus cheered, and Willow laughed.</p><p>Luz, however, had been frowning and watching the whole interaction, one hand reaching up to touch her own boutonniere, the other touching the corsage in her pocket.</p><p>“Wait, I don’t understand… why did I get both-”</p><p>“Luz? Gus? Are you guys not going to use the bathroom?” Amity’s voice called from the door, and when Luz looked up her heart just about leaped out of her chest.</p><p>She had changed into a deep maroon off the shoulder dress that came to just around her knees. It had lace sleeves that came to just above her elbows, and Luz saw her amethyst pendant hanging around her neck, sitting right between her collarbones. She had leather heeled shoes to go with her outfit, giving her at least two inches of height. Her mint hair was pulled up in its usual style, with a couple of loose pieces framing her face.  She had even done her makeup, like Luz and Willow, but it was a lot more neutral. Though she did have eyeliner wings so sharp it could cut glass and dark lipstick that was a perfect match for her dress.</p><p>For a couple of moments Luz couldn’t do anything but stare, and she was painfully aware of the awkward tension growing around the as Willow and Gus exchanged a confused look. Amity was blinking at Luz as well, her cheeks pinking as she took in Luz, and she realized she was probably making a scene and should definitely look away. Or at least answer her question.</p><p>But when she tried, all that came out was “Uh… your dress… wow.”</p><p>Amity’s cheeks reddened, somehow making her look even prettier than she already did, and Luz swallowed hard.</p><p>Willow started laughing hysterically.</p><p>“What?” Gus said, turning to her in annoyance. “What’s the problem? Did I miss a joke?”</p><p>Luz pinched the inside of her arm hard. Tearing her eyes away from Amity, she forced herself to look at Willow and Gus instead. “Right, so I think we’re all good here. Everyone looks… prom-ey. Should we start making our way to the university?”</p><p>Willow, who was still chuckling to herself, nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Gus and I were checking the map earlier, it should be a thirty-minute bus ride.”</p><p>Amity scoffed, “my mom would come down from Olympus and murder us if we voluntarily took the bus in these clothes. She gave us money earlier for a cab there.”  </p><p>“We should bring our stuff,” Gus said seriously, finally managing to tie his bowtie (even if it was a little crooked). “We don’t know if we’ll be able to come back here after we take the shield.”</p><p>“That’s true,” Amity added. “The local authorities will probably be looking for us.”</p><p>Something moved next to them, and when Luz looked over, she saw their backpacks, fully restocked and sitting ready to go. One had even been added for Amity, a maroon one that when she saw, she winced.</p><p>“I guess I know for sure now my backpack got destroyed by Achilles,” she said with a grumble, slinging it over her shoulder. “I’m going to kill that guy.”  </p><p>“What about our weapons?” Willow asked, holding her <em>kopis</em> in her hand. With her dress, she didn’t really have anywhere to put it.</p><p>“My spear is here,” Gus said, opening his jacket to reveal the retracted spear strapped to his side.</p><p>“I have my ring…” Luz said unhelpfully, her hand hovering over it.</p><p>“Mine’s under my skirt,” Amity said causally, and Luz’s mouth dropped.</p><p>“It is?” She asked, shocked.</p><p>The demigod blushed, and she crossed her arms. “Yeah, it is. Your sword is shorter than mine Willow, it’s not totally comfortable, but it’ll fit.”</p><p>Once that issue was sorted out, they were ready to go. They left Athena’s workshop, and Luz pulled out her phone and called a cab. Willow and Gus walked down the street to patrol the area for monsters and make sure they weren’t going to be followed.</p><p>While she got the chance, Luz checked her phone for texts from her Mami, finding one from the day before.</p><p>
  <em>How is your field trip, mija?</em>
</p><p>Luz typed back a response.</p><p>
  <em>It’s great, Mami. I’m going to a dance tonight with my camp friends. </em>
</p><p>“Who are you texting?”</p><p>Luz jumped, turning to Amity who was watching her with interest.</p><p>“My Mami,” Luz admitted, feeling terrible for using her phone. She stuck it in her pocket and felt it brush against something. The corsage.</p><p>“You don’t need to feel guilty,” Amity said slowly, running her hand up her arm nervously. “I’m glad she wants to make sure you're ok. It’s sweet how much you care about her.”</p><p>Luz felt that thumping in her heart again while she listened to Amity talk. She found herself starting again, and Amity’s cheeks pinked at the intensity of it. Luz mentally hit herself. She had to stop freaking her out like that.</p><p>“Luz, there’s something I wanted to ask you…” Amity said, her blush deepening. “I… I know this isn’t a real Prom… but since we’re using it as a cover story and we want it to be realistic… would you want to maybe… I don’t know…”</p><p>She had no idea what compelled her to interrupt Amity, but she reached into her pocket and pulled out the corsage, extending it to Amity slowly.</p><p>“I found this in my garment bag. Would you want it?”</p><p>Amity blinked, taken aback. “What?”</p><p>“It’s a corsage, and it matches your dress,” Luz said stupidly. What was she doing? Why did she need to interrupt Amity like that to say something so dumb?</p><p>Amity reached out slowly and took it. “Oh, thanks.”</p><p>She opened it and put it around her wrist, and Luz realized with a jolt that Amity was <em>disappointed</em>. Why was she disappointed? Had Luz done something wrong?</p><p>There was that jolt in her stomach again. It was getting stronger and stronger every time it happened around Amity. She didn’t want to disappoint her. She racked her brain, trying to think of why she would have hurt Amity’s feelings just now.</p><p>Then, she remembered what Aphrodite had said to Luz, and the fluttering got so strong she was amazed she didn’t pass out.</p><p>
  <em>“You'rere affected by my charms. This is good news for you, daughter.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m sorry, my lady. I don’t understand.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You will, daughter of Hermes.” </em>
</p><p>Oh. <em>Oh.</em> <strong><em>Oh. </em></strong></p><p>Luz understood, and the weight of it almost flattened her. GODS, how was she so dense? Amity hadn’t been uncomfortable around her. Well, maybe she had, but it wasn’t because Luz was scaring her off. It was the exact opposite. And she… well. She hadn’t gotten off on the best foot with Amity when they’d met, but they’d come such a long way and Luz was so confused. Her tongue tied in knots, and she was starting to sweat. But she couldn’t mess this up. She wasn’t going to give herself the opportunity to. So, she hesitantly smiled at Amity who wasn’t looking at her.</p><p>“It… it matches my suit too,” she added awkwardly sticking her hands in her pockets nervously. Amity looked up quickly in surprise, her gold eyes widening. That was a better response than disappointment. Luz figured she should just go from there.</p><p>“Maybe we could be each other’s like… dates? To help with the cover story and everything.”</p><p>Amity blinked for a couple more seconds in shock, and Luz felt herself begin to panic.</p><p>“I mean… we don’t have to if you would rather just stick to the original story-”</p><p>“No!” Amity said quickly, and Luz jumped at the volume of it.</p><p>“Sorry,” she added, lowering her voice. Despite the awkwardness of the whole conversation, she was beaming. “I mean, yes. That sounds perfect.”</p><p>Luz laughed nervously, but she was also smiling. “Alright, great. You’re my date then.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Amity said, her cheeks pinking. “I’m your date.”</p><p>Luz wasn’t quite sure what she was going to say next, but it didn’t seem to matter because the cab was suddenly pulling up, and Willow and Gus were back at their sides.</p><p>“Ready to go?” Gus asked them, and Luz nodded, letting gesturing for him to get in the cab. Willow turned to look at Amity and Luz suspiciously.</p><p>“Why do you two look like that? Did you get into a fight or something?”</p><p>“No!” Luz said quickly, and Amity also shook her head. “No, of course not.”</p><p>Willow hummed, unconvinced, but shrugged, getting into the cab next. “Okay.”</p><p>After she got in, Luz gestured for Amity to go next. “After you.”</p><p>Amity pinked, but slid in after her, and Luz got in last, shutting the door with a bang. The cab driver looked at them in his mirror.</p><p>“Where are you kids headed dressed so nice?”</p><p>“The University of Denver,” Luz said, “for our Prom.”</p><p>The cabbie raised his brows. “What, you can’t afford a Limo?”</p><p>The four of them looked at each other, and Luz wasn’t really sure what she was going to say next.</p><p>“We had one,” Amity replied, feigning a look of hurt. “We paid our deposit but the driver never showed. We won’t let that stop us from enjoying our prom though.”</p><p>“That’s terrible customer service,” the driver said with a gasp, tisking. “What kind of company scams kids? Tell you what, I’ll take you there for free.”</p><p>“You don’t need to do that, sir,” Amity said quickly, “we appreciate it, but it’s a long drive.”</p><p>The driver shook his head. “No, I insist. You’re only teenagers once. Here, I have an aux cord for customers. Play whatever you’d like.”</p><p>So Luz plugged in her phone (he’d already offered, and why not?) and the driver blasted her guilty pleasures playlist all the way there. When they were about ten minutes away, Luz heard her phone buzz, and it was a reply from her Mami.</p><p>
  <em>A dance? How fun! I’m so happy you’re making friends, mija. Do you have a date for this dance???</em>
</p><p>Luz usually would have gotten upset at this question, especially since her Mami knew what had happened at the last dance she went to. But instead, she smiled. Because she did have a date, even if it wasn’t exactly a real one.</p><p>“Guys, could we take a picture to send to my Mami?” Luz asked, and everyone around her nodded, and Gus even whooped in excitement at the idea of a group picture. Making sure she didn’t get too much of the cab in the background (her Mami would ask way too many questions) Luz and her friends huddled around and smiled. Luz snapped a couple, before humming and shaking her head.</p><p>“Cute, but it’s not really us. Let’s do a group hug!”</p><p>Willow and Gus laughed and reached around to hug everybody’s shoulders. Luz extended her left arm around Amity, pulling her close. Amity’s cheeks pinked furiously, but she was laughing too when Luz grinned and took the picture. When she looked at it, she couldn’t help but let herself enjoy the moment. It was perfect.</p><p>She showed her friends the picture, and then she sent it to her Mami, along with a follow-up text.</p><p>
  <em>I do :) </em>
  <em>This is Amity, and my two friends Willow and Gus. </em>
</p><p>When the cab pulled up, and the driver let them out, Amity discreetly slipped the cash Aphrodite had given them into the passenger seat. The driver wished them goodnight, and then they were there, outside the hall at the university that was hosting the event. It seemed to be one of the main buildings, and it was decorated outside with flowing magenta and silver balloons. Above the door was a huge banner with the words “Hexside Highschool Junior Prom”. All around them, teenagers just a little older than them were making their way inside, but nobody seemed to pass them any kind of look.</p><p>Perfect, they were blending right in.</p><p>Gus lead them to around the side of the building, away from the prying eyes of the prom guests.</p><p>“Right,” Gus said, and the four of them got into a huddle. “I used the workbench earlier to plan our heist and I have a plan. Right now, we’re two buildings over from the classics department where they keep the shield. We should stay here for a little bit, keep up the face, and then as pairs leave inconspicuously out the back exit and head across the yard to the building. We break inside, take the shield, and regroup at the prom entrance.”</p><p>He took off his backpack, pulling out a black cloth from inside.</p><p>“There are masks to hide our identity. The place has cameras everywhere except the back exit. The second you leave, put them on. We don’t want to get followed by mortal police.”</p><p>They each took their masks out, and Luz and Gus stuffed them into their pockets. Amity and Willow frowned, holding onto them.</p><p>“I can take that,” Luz said, extending her hand out to Amity. “I’ll give it to you later.”</p><p>“But we haven’t decided how we’re splitting up yet!” Gus said, and Luz frowned.</p><p>“What do you mean? It’s obvious to split ourselves up by our prom dates. It’ll look less suspicious. You and Willow go together, and I’ll go with Amity.”</p><p>Next to her, Amity flushed and handed Luz her mask, and Willow’s eyes lit up in excitement. Gus just shrugged.</p><p>“Alright, that works. Let’s ditch the rest of our stuff here in this bush until we come back for it later.”</p><p>Once they’d concealed their backpacks, the four of them walked up the steps and tried not to draw any attention to themselves. When they walked inside, Luz’s heart sank. It lead to the main room, clearly where the party was, but there was a security guard outside checking tickets.</p><p>“What are we going to do?” Luz hissed to Willow and Gus, who shrugged their shoulders helplessly. Next to her, Amity sighed, and Luz turned to look at her. Her eyes were narrowed in determination.</p><p>“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”</p><p>The three of them shared a confused glance, but they didn’t have much time to question it before the couple in front of them walked in, and they were next.</p><p>“Tickets?” The security guard, a buff dude with blond hair, asked.</p><p>Amity’s shoulders slouched, and she ducked her head. “I’m so sorry sir, but we left them in the limo and don’t have them anymore! I swear we bought them though. Can you please just let us in?”</p><p>Luz bit the inside of her lip. There was no way that was going to work! Security guards had to deal with kids like them all the time, there was no chance-</p><p>The guard’s shoulders slouched to Amity’s level, and his eyes grew watery. “Oh, how terrible is that! On the night of your junior prom and everything… that’s no problem, miss. You and your friends head right inside.”</p><p>“Thank you so much, sir. You really are too kind.” Amity said quickly, grabbing Luz by the arm and dragging her inside with Willow and Gus trailing them. “Have a fantastic night.”</p><p>Luz struggled to pick up her jaw. “How did you just do that?”</p><p>“I didn’t know you could use charmspeak,” Willow added, looking quite surprised herself.</p><p>Amity sighed rubbing the back of her neck. “I can’t. It’s not charmspeak.”</p><p>“It’s Aphrodite’s Passion!” Gus said gleefully from behind them. Once they had walked inside the dark room lit up by flashing lights, they headed to a corner where they could talk privately.</p><p>“Aphrodite’s what?” Luz exclaimed, shocked.</p><p>“It’s a skill some of my mom’s kids have. It’s not as overpowering as charmspeak.” Amity explained quietly.</p><p>“Aphrodite’s Passion is when a person is inclined to listen and sympathize with the user. It doesn’t force anybody to do anything they wouldn’t otherwise do, but it does incentivize the target into acting out of empathy,” Gus added.</p><p>“How is that different from charmspeak?” Willow asked, confused.</p><p>“Charmspeak is foolproof and often results in loss of memory or confusion. It comes from the more manipulative side of Aphrodite, and is superficial at heart” Gus added, and then grimaced, turning back to Amity with an awkward smile. “No offense.”</p><p>“None taken,” Amity said with a shrug. “I can’t use it all the time anyway, I have to be in a certain mental state to get it right… I just had a feeling it would work today and well, I guess I got lucky.”</p><p>“What mental state do you have to be in,” Luz asked curiously, and Amity cleared her throat.</p><p>“I… It’s hard to explain…”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter right now,” Willow said quickly, regaining everybody’s focus. “What matters is the mission.”</p><p>The four of them nodded.</p><p>“Right,” Luz said seriously. “Let’s split up and enjoy the party.”</p><p>“I’m going to the free food,” Gus said excitedly, and Amity laughed.</p><p>“I wouldn’t mind some free stuff. I’ll go with you.” She turned to Luz with a smile. “Do you want me to get you a drink?”</p><p>Luz grinned. “Yeah, sure!”</p><p>The two demigods walked away, leaving Luz and Willow to themselves. Willow turned to Luz with a wide grin.</p><p>“So you finally asked Amity out then? Good for you, Luz!”</p><p>Luz’s stomach clenched hard. “What do you mean asked her out?”</p><p>Willow’s brow furrowed, and she frowned. “Well, she’s your prom date isn’t she?”</p><p>Luz felt her cheeks heating up. “I… I mean yeah…”</p><p>“And you gave her the corsage that matched the boutonniere?”</p><p>“Yes…”</p><p>“And I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. You like her, right?”</p><p>What a question. She wasn’t sure she wanted to answer that just yet. Not when something else big had pushed itself to the surface.</p><p>“Willow, what is Aphrodite supposed to look like?”</p><p>Willow blinked in surprise. A small smile started to pull on her lips. “Well, there are lots of rumors about what gods and goddesses look like by those who’ve seen them. They’re supposed to encompass the things they are known for and reveal secrets to demigods about things they may not have previously understood. So Aphrodite, who stands for beauty, passion, and love… well, you would see those qualities in yourself reflected in her.</p><p>Luz swallowed hard. Aphrodite’s smile… her laugh… gods, she’d even smelled like Amity.</p><p>Luz knew she thought Amity was beautiful, she’d accidentally told her enough times. But did Luz… love her? Luz certainly felt a lot of things about Amity. With everything between them going on, and the way this prophecy had intertwined them, was there something more to them than Luz had even realized yet?</p><p>As much as she refused to acknowledge it, the prophecy did call for something tragic. Could this be what Aphrodite had been talking about? The passionate story fueled by love in Luz’s heart? Was this love more than just her new love for camp, and for her friends? Luz's face was getting so hot, she was sure she was sweating right through her new dress shirt.</p><p>Who was Luz kidding? She had never been this important, or this special. She had certainly never warranted any kind of attention from somebody as incredible as Amity. In fact, people like Amity had been the reason she was hurt in the past. Was this worth trying? Worth pushing just to see what happened? Every fiber in Luz wanted to run, to protect herself.</p><p>But this… this wasn’t about Maya. This was about Amity. And they had already been through so much together, she had to at least try. She had to at least take the leap of faith.</p><p>Willow smiled, nudging Luz with her shoulder. “Luz, if you ever want to talk, I’m always ready to listen.”</p><p>Luz turned to Willow gratefully. “I know, Willow. And I’m probably going to take you up on that soon.”</p><p>“I figured,” Willow said her eyes training onto something behind Luz. “But how about for right now, you just focus on making the magic happen?”</p><p>Luz turned her head and saw Amity coming back towards her, with two cups in her hand and a big smile on her face. Luz’s breath caught in her throat. Gods, Amity was just so pretty when she smiled. She felt that surge of panic come back, and the realization that this was happening hit her like a truck.</p><p>For whatever reason, in the middle of her panic, she remembered Eda, right before she accepted the prophecy.</p><p>
  <em>“</em>
  <em>You do have a choice. You’re allowed to look out for yourself if you need to. If this seems too much, you can take a moment to breathe.”</em>
</p><p>“Here you go,” Amity said, handing the cup to Luz. “They had lime soda. I saw you drinking it at the workshop so I figured it was a safe bet.”</p><p>Luz felt her heart jolt with affection, and the combination of that and Eda’s words in her head filled her with the same rush she had felt back when she’d accepted the prophecy.</p><p>Luz knew what she needed to do, and she was going to make sure she made the right choice. The sound of upbeat music filled the room, and with that so did her courage.</p><p>She reached over and took Amity’s cup from her, and handed them both to Willow. She turned back to a surprised Amity and extended her hand, smiling as confidently as she could.</p><p>“Amity, would you like to dance with me?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. We Play the World's Most Dangerous Game of Ultimate Frisbee</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello everybody! I'm very sorry for the long wait, but the exam season was not pleasant. Thankfully, I'm done and should have some time to catch up on this story! I really enjoyed writing this chapter for sooo many reasons, but I hope you enjoy it! </p><p>This was a pretty fitting chapter for me to write since I literally have not been able to stop listening to the prom soundtrack from Netflix. If y’all are looking for some wholesome queer content, I highly recommend Emma and Alyssa. They are so cute and I s2g they have such lumity energy.</p><p>Anyways, Let me know what you think, I love reading and responding to your comments. Thanks again to everyone who leaves a comment or a kudos, it really makes my day. I'm so happy so many of you are enjoying this fic! </p><p>Have a great rest of your weekend!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The dance floor was filled to the brim with students enjoying the music, so Luz led Amity by the hand to a more quiet spot on the outskirts where they wouldn’t be bumped by other dancers. When they got to a good spot, Luz gave Amity an experimental turn, and the daughter of Aphrodite giggled as she did a spin, and Luz saw the tip of her sword hanging just above her knees.</p><p>“Wait, you actually put your sword there? I thought you were joking!” Luz exclaimed, and Amity laughed, her cheeks flushing red as she pushed her dress back down with the hand that wasn’t tightly gripping Luz’s.</p><p>“Where else was I supposed to put it?” Amity asked sheepishly, “I’ve never needed to carry my sword while wearing a dress before.”</p><p>“I’m just surprised that the great Amity Blight doesn’t have a magically concealed weapon like I do.” Luz teased, wiggling her fingers to show off <em>Aletheia</em>, which was sitting comfortably on her ring finger.</p><p>Amity rolled her eyes. “Magical artifacts like that are few and far between. And not all of us are stupid enough to choose a cursed weapon like that one.”</p><p>“Hey!” Luz put her hand over her heart as though offended, but the smile stretching across her face gave away just how unbothered she was by the comment. “I love my magic sword and all its cursed qualities, alright?”</p><p>The two of them twirled around to the upbeat music together, cracking a couple of jokes and laughing. Luz couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d been this happy. Sure, she was on a dangerous quest to save Olympus and probably the entire world, but at this moment, in this stupid university hall holding Amity’s hand and spinning her while her best friends watched in the wings, Luz thought tonight couldn’t get any better.</p><p>After a moment, the song switched, and it took on a much slower rhythm. The pair’s dancing slowed, and Luz started to feel the heat under her collar. She could do the upbeat and quick dancing, but suddenly the idea of pulling Amity in for a slower dance was making her nervous.</p><p>Amity seemed to be feeling similarly, because she cleared her throat, her cheeks turning pink as she looked away from Luz awkwardly.</p><p>Exhaling nervously, Luz mustered a smile and squeezed Amity’s hand. “Would you want to um…” she gestured with her free hand to the room around her, and thankfully Amity just giggled.</p><p>“Yeah… okay.”</p><p>Luz's smile grew, and she gently pulled Amity closer to her. She gently put her hands high up on Amity’s waist, and the daughter of Aphrodite timidly let hers fall onto Luz’s shoulders. She was so close, Luz could make out the tiniest details about her she hadn’t noticed before. Her chipped black nail polish or the splash of freckles across her nose. The two swayed slowly to the music, not really following any sort of dance in particular.</p><p>The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, not with Amity’s gold eyes staring at her softly, but Luz’s heart was beating way too quickly in her chest to be able to just enjoy it. The need to say something, anything at all, quickly overcame her.</p><p>“So uh, this is nice.”</p><p>Amity snorted at Luz’s awkwardness, which just made her heartbeat quicken. Amity was so cute when she laughed.</p><p>“Yeah, it is. I’ve never been to a school dance before.”</p><p>Luz swallowed hard. Her heartbeat had now sped up for an entirely different reason.</p><p>“I have.”</p><p>Amity, who hadn’t noticed the change in Luz’s demeanor, just tilted her head curiously. “Oh yeah? Was it anything like this one?”</p><p>“I… I don’t really remember.” Luz really didn’t want to talk about it, but she wasn’t going to ruin the mood just because she’d answered Amity’s question.</p><p>Amity, however, had seemed to pick up on Luz’s hesitance, and she frowned. Her hands on Luz’s shoulders tightened reassuringly.</p><p>“Luz, are you okay?”</p><p>Luz shrugged her shoulders. “The last time I went to a school dance the kids there played a prank on me and it ruined my dress. I haven’t been to once since.”</p><p>“What?” Amity gasped, her eyes widening. “Why would they do that? ‘</p><p>Luz felt her eyes beginning to prick with tears at the memory. She’s swallowed hard to force it away.</p><p>“I’m kinda the weird kid at my school. I don’t really fit in. There was a group of girls who found out about my crush on this girl and… well… it’s a long story. They picked on me all year. But the semiformal dance was the worst. They met me outside before I could even go in and threw the punch on my dress. Then I found out the girl I liked was in on it and… well, you can guess how it went from there. I just went straight home. It was mean… but I’ve dealt with worse, you know?”</p><p>Amity’s frown had deepened, and Luz wanted more than anything to change the subject off of Maya. This was supposed to be fun, and a way for her and Amity to get closer. She didn’t want to unload all her old mess on her. Amity didn’t deserve that.</p><p>“Luz, I’m so sorry. I heard about those girls from my siblings. One of them was an <em>empousai,</em> right? They’re terrible monsters, they like to pick on unclaimed demigods-”</p><p>“It wasn’t the monster,” Luz interjected her face flushing red. She was embarrassed to be talking about this, but it wasn’t as bad as she had thought it might be. Amity wasn’t judging her. She wasn’t faking any sympathy, she just… listened. But despite the careful and kind way Amity was letting Luz talk, the usually upbeat demigod was letting all those quiet feelings bring themselves to the surface. She was angry, and hurt… and bitter too.</p><p>“The monster didn’t come until after the semiformal. The girls who bullied me… they were just regular kids. Regular mortals who just wanted to make me feel terrible for no reason other than that I was different.”</p><p>Amity was quiet, and the two continued to sway to the slower music together,  when Luz looked at her, she saw Amity’s face morphed into sad contemplation. Luz tilted her head curiously, and Amity eventually sighed.</p><p>“Luz, I owe you an apology,” she said, her voice so low that Luz would have missed it if they weren’t so close.</p><p>“Wait, wait?” Luz asked, her eyes widening owlishly.</p><p>“I do,” Amity insisted, her arms tightening around Luz’s shoulders as they continued to sway. “I was… not nice to you when you first came to camp. I’m really sorry about that.”</p><p>Luz chuckled, her cheeks heating up as she looked away. “Amity, you don’t have to be sorry you’ve made up for it enough. You saved my life back in Kansas-”</p><p>“And you saved mine first when I definitely didn’t deserve it,” Amity retorted. Luz bit her lip, not knowing how to respond. Amity caught this and reached one hand off Luz’s shoulder to push a loose strand of hair behind her ear nervously. Luz’s shoulder tingled at the loss of contact.</p><p>“Just… please let me apologize ok? Honestly, I’ve been kind of amazed at how brave you are. You’ve done things I could never do…”</p><p>Luz finally let herself laugh, maybe because of the craziness of where the conversation had turned, or maybe because Amity looked so sheepish, Luz couldn’t help herself.</p><p>“Yeah right. Are you going soft on me, Blight?”</p><p>Amity’s eyes narrowed playfully, and she smiled. “In your dreams.”</p><p>Luz laughed again, and somewhat out of reflex she pulled Amity closer to her, and Amity moved too, resting her head on Luz’s shoulder as they moved to the song. It had changed again, to a more fast-paced beat than the previous song, but their dancing didn’t change tempo, and instead, they kept swaying slowly.</p><p>Luz’s heart was beating so fast she wasn’t sure if it had stopped or was just skipping too many beats to count. Amity’s cheek was pressed against the top of her shoulder, and her arms were wrapped tight around Luz’s neck, and Luz could feel the lace sleeves of her dress tickle the skin on her neck. Luz just simply let her hold herself there for a few moments, savoring it before she remembered she hadn’t actually responded properly to Amity.</p><p>“I forgive you,” she whispered, and Amity looked up in surprise, meeting Luz’s brown eyes with her gold ones.</p><p>“You do?” She replied, her mouth dropping open in surprise.</p><p>Luz shrugged her shoulders, a bright smile pulling at her lips. “Yeah, after everything that’s happened on this quest, you’ve more than earned it.”</p><p>Amity just gaped at her for a few seconds, before the biggest smile Luz had ever seen on her stretched across her face. Luz laughed again at the sight, it was like she was a little kid opening her Christmas gifts.</p><p>“Why are you laughing?” Amity asked, her smiling pausing as though Luz was making fun of her.</p><p>“I’m not laughing at you,” Luz promised her, biting her lip to keep more giggles from spilling out of her mouth. “I just think you’re cute when you smile.”</p><p>Amity blushed, but the smile didn’t leave her face. Luz was suddenly beginning to feel bolder, taking that as a good sign as any. Her hands on Amity’s waist tightened, and without meaning to her eyes flickered down to Amity’s lips.</p><p>Amity must have seen this because her blush deepened, but she made no move to pull away. Luz’s mouth began to go dry, and she felt herself move closer and closer to Amity. Her stomach was fluttering nervously, and she couldn’t believe she was actually about to do this.</p><p>Just as the gap between them got smaller and smaller, Luz’s eyes out of nervous habit flickered to where Willow had been standing earlier, and with a jolt that felt like ice running through her veins, she reared back from Amity, her eyes widening.</p><p>Willow was nowhere to be seen. She scanned the prom quickly, and to her horror, Gus was gone too.</p><p>“Holy Hermes, how long ago did Willow and Gus sneak out?”</p><p>Amity jerked back from her quickly, her face still flushed a deep red, but her eyes widening in a similar panic. “The mission! I totally forgot!”</p><p>“Me too,” Luz exclaimed in horror, but she couldn’t help the pink that ran up her cheeks when she realized exactly <em>why</em> she’d forgotten. Her left hand had slipped from Amity’s waist to her hand when they’d separated, and she squeezed it absentmindedly as she started dragging Amity through the crowd. “We have to go.”</p><p>The pair pushed through the crowd of students, careful not to alert any of the security of what was happening. When Luz thought they were clear, she pushed open the side door with her shoulder and pulled Amity through it, a rush of the cool summer air hitting her in the face as they went outside.</p><p>Luz’s heart was hammering in her chest as she let go of Amity’s hand, immediately missing the warm contact. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two of the masks, tossing one to Amity. They pulled them around their faces, (nothing fancy, but it was black and covered their nose and mouth) and started walking hastily towards the classics building.</p><p>“I hope they haven’t been waiting too long, who knows what is protecting that shield,” Amity said quietly to Luz, as the two of them ran next to one another.</p><p>Luz nodded, her own anxiety beginning to climb. Gus had told Luz before that while it might appear many Greek artifacts were just out in the open, a lot of the time there was something from their world keeping them there, out of the mortal's line of sight. Luz hoped that after losing track of time Willow and Gus weren’t in any kind of danger.</p><p>When they arrived to the classics building, (Amity had been leading the way since all of the buildings seemed to look exactly the same to Luz) Amity skidded to a stop, and Luz followed suit. The door was open, with a plank of wood wedged between it.</p><p>“They’re inside, Gus must have unlocked it and left it ajar for us,” she said, pushing the door open. “Let’s move.”</p><p>Luz didn’t need to be told twice. The pair moved quickly through the halls, and thankfully Amity seemed to know where she was going because Luz would have gotten hopelessly lost.</p><p>When they rounded one corner in particular, Amity held her arm out, stopping Luz.</p><p>“Did you hear that?” She asked, terrified.</p><p>Luz paused, listening closely. She didn’t hear anything in particular, but then a loud alarm bell starting ringing, following by a banging noise. Luz tensed when that sound was followed by a yelp she could recognize anywhere.</p><p>“Gus!” She yelled, reaching on her ring to uncap <em>Aletheia</em> which shifted into a sword. Luz pushed through the door and past the ringing alarm bells a few feet down the hall with Amity close on her heels. When she burst into the room, her eyes widened.</p><p>“What are those?” She squeaked to Amity, whose mouth had dropped open.</p><p>Willow and Gus were at the edge of the room, holding out their weapons threateningly. Behind them, there were half a dozen metal warriors that had come to life all around them. Four of them had swords, and two had spears, and they were closing in on Willow and Gus, their faces designed into scowls, their eyes flashing a bright neon blue.</p><p>“Hephaestus left automatons to protect the shield!” Gus shouted from the front of the room. He had his own spear and shield up and ready, and next to him Willow was holding out her sword, a new bronze shield strapped to her arm.</p><p>“Help us!” She screamed, swinging at one of the spear-holding statues, who deflected.</p><p>Luz and Amity didn’t hesitate before charging into the fray. Luz lunged at one of the automatons with its back to them, and she managed to slice it right in half. Amity swung her own through the head of another, and it collapsed to the ground. That’s when the other two in front turned to the new opponents.</p><p>Luz had to hold back a yelp as one swung, and her sword collided with it. Luz was pretty good with her blade, but this automaton was no laughing stock. With its full attention on Luz, it managed to dodge and parry her attacks like a pro, and Luz had to focus all her attention on it.</p><p>“We have to go!” Willow shouted as she met the spear of her automaton. “An alarm sounded the second I touched the shield. If we don’t get away now, security will catch us!”</p><p>“How are we supposed to get past the automatons?” Amity said, her sword stuck between the automaton as she pushed against it. Gus was in a similar position, his spear stuck between his own shield and the other automaton.</p><p>Luz grimaced, pushing forward with a particularly hard strike. Her automaton dropped a few feet backward, and Luz noticed something she had missed before. Every time the automaton stepped backward, the gears in its body moved too, and it had to wait a few moments to adjust before swinging. A classic slower attacker. She looked behind the automaton and saw a row of potted plants growing against the wall behind them, and all of a sudden, Luz had an idea.</p><p>“Willow!” Luz yelled, shifting her sword back into her ring and slipping it on her finger, ducking under the automaton’s next swing. “Let’s do the thorn vault! The one we practiced for capture the flag!”</p><p>“What?” Willow exclaimed, swinging against the automaton again, narrowing missing its arm. “Are you crazy?”</p><p>“Just trust me!” Luz pleaded, already reaching into the inside pockets of her suit. She knew she had put these in there for a reason. Her hands wrapped around the leather hand buzzer, and she slipped it over her left hand.</p><p>“Okay, you’re actually crazy!” Willow said, but she got into position anyway. “Gus, Amity! Get ready!”</p><p>“Get ready for what?” Amity said in horror, and Luz could tell she was already dreading their idea. From behind her, the potted plants began to rise, getting thicker and thicker with every passing second.</p><p>Luz had to duck against the automaton’s next swing, but she slammed the hand buzzer against the bronze statue, and electricity began spilling up into the machine. It started vibrating wildly, and Luz grinned in satisfaction as it’s blue eyes flickered. She looked at her other friends.</p><p>‘Now or never!”</p><p>“I’m ready!” Gus yelled back, pushing against the automaton with his shield and putting some space between them.</p><p>“Alright!” Willow yelled, slashing her sword in the air. “Luz, now!”</p><p>The roots came flying at her almost quicker than she was expecting, and Luz jumped, landing hard on the feet of the thick vines. They were easily two meters thick, and still shooting forward. But Luz didn’t have time to admired Willow’s obvious skill.</p><p>“Heads up!” She yelled to Willow, slamming her hand buzzer against the head of her own automaton, and the machine began to fizz out wildly, just like Luz’s had. Willow reached out her other hand, and the shield flew towards Luz. She caught it in her free hand, and as the thorns began to turn and spin towards Gus, she slammed it down hard on the head of the automaton, startling it enough that Gus could run it through the neck with his spear.</p><p>“Alright!” Gus whooped in excitement, spinning and kicking the automaton’s headless body down to the ground.</p><p>“Willow!” Luz shouted, pointing to Amity. “Turn!”</p><p>Willow slashed her sword in the other direction, and Luz had to wrap her now empty hand tight around the vine as it spun towards Amity. Knowing she didn’t have another plan, she tossed her the shield, and the daughter of Aphrodite caught it, slinging it around her corsage as she smashed the face of it against the automaton, pushing it a few feet away from her.</p><p>Grinning at her opening, Luz jumped off the vine and landed in front of the stumbling statue. She slapping her buzzer against the automaton, and the whole thing began to vibrate until it collapsed to the ground.</p><p>Willow and Gus cheered from behind them, and Luz threw her hands up in the air, grinning gleefully. “Alright!”</p><p>She reached around with her non-buzzer hand and pulled Amity into a hug. “Teamwork, baby!”</p><p>“Luz!” Amity yelped, pointing behind them. Luz turned her head, and her stomach dropped. There were two mortal security guards, who were watching the whole thing with their mouths dropped.</p><p>“Uh oh,” Luz said slowly, already backing away. Now that the adrenaline had faded, all she could hear was the sound of the security alarm and the feeling of the room’s cameras on her body. This was definitely not good.</p><p>“Over here!” Gus exclaimed from behind them, and when Luz turned her head, her friends were already running towards the emergency exit against the sidewall. Turning towards them, Amity and Luz started sprinting, and the security guards seemed to finally snap out of their trance.</p><p>“Hey! You kids get back here!”</p><p>“What do we do?” Amity hissed as Willow and Gus pushed the door open. “We’re going to get caught!”</p><p>“I’ve got it!” Luz said, reaching into her suit’s inside pocket and pulling out the bag her siblings had given her back at camp. She didn’t know what this was going to do, and she was feeling terrible that the mortals were going to have to deal with it, but surely this was better than getting electrocuted by the buzzer. “Get through the door, <em>now!</em>”</p><p>The second her friends had pushed through the door, Luz turned her head and threw the bag against the ground at the entrance as hard as she could, praying this would give them a clean getaway.</p><p>She had gotten a little more than she’d bargained for.</p><p>The ground exploded in a fleet of purple powder, and Luz was knocked clean off her feet. She was pushed backward, rolling against the ground as she heard screaming coming from her friends behind her, and the guards on the other side. She hit the pavement with a thud, rolling a few feet, and she struggled for breath as the air was knocked out of her lungs.</p><p>“Luz!” Came a very high pitched voice from next to her. Luz blinked, coughing as she saw Amity above her, trying to pull her to her feet. “Are you alright?”</p><p>When Luz realized what Amity sounded like, she couldn’t help but chuckle through coughs as she stood on shaky legs. “Why do you sound like that?”</p><p>When she realized that <em>she</em> sounded like that too, she laughed again. Gods, she sounded so <em>funny</em>.</p><p>“I can’t believe Viney gave you a helium bomb,” Amity said exasperated, and Luz laughed even harder. “That could have killed you!”</p><p>“Did it work?” Luz asked, trying to stifle her chuckles. In hindsight, it wasn’t so funny as it was ridiculous, but for whatever reason Luz just couldn’t calm down.</p><p>“It did, but it won’t for long if we don’t move!” Gus said from next to her, his voice also unreasonably high pitched. Luz laughed so hard she thought her lungs were going to explode.</p><p>“What’s wrong with her?” Willow muttered from next to Gus, and Amity rolled her eyes.</p><p>“She was in the direct blast,” Amity replied quietly. “she’ll be like this for a little while. But we have to go.”</p><p>“I threw the bag, and it just went like… BOOM!” Luz said to them, her grin so wide she was sure she probably looked insane. “I saved the day!”</p><p>“Yes, you did,” Amity said to her gently, already pulling her along by the hand as the four of them started running. Luz’s feet were stumbling as she went, and she was slightly aware of the aching in her chest as she ran. Probably when she hit the ground when it exploded. Gods, that was <em>soooo</em> funny. She was snorting to herself just thinking about it.</p><p>By the time Luz was able to process where she was, they were already back at where they had ditched their bags. Throwing their stuff over their shoulders, Willow grabbed Luz’s bag as the demigod collapsed to her knees, laughing so hard tears were running down her face.</p><p>“What do we do?” Gus asked, and Luz clutched her stomach at the sound of her voice. Her laughs had become silent, as she struggled to breathe. “We can’t take her anywhere like this… and the mortal police will be here any minute.”</p><p>“She’s going to start losing it… and I mean more than she already has,” Amity whispered to them, looking at Luz in panic. “She’s probably not going to remember any of this.”</p><p>Willow was humming under her breath, looking around the building to prom with her eyes narrowed in focus. Suddenly her gaze flickered over to a mom, clearly waiting for her kids, and her eyes widened.</p><p>“Leave it to me,” she said certainly. “Just get all our stuff ready and I’ll be right back.”</p><p>“Willow, what are you doing?” Gus hissed in panic as she began to walk over, and Amity leaned down to Luz, who had now just started vibrating on the grassy floor. Luz felt a hand touch her back, and when she looked up, Amity was looking at her anxiously.</p><p>“Luz? Just try and stay calm ok? Everything is going to be fine.”</p><p>Luz caught herself choking on laughter once again, reaching up with her hand to gently touch Amity’s face.</p><p>“I can’t believe I did that, I flew like… so high into the air. Did you see it? Was it so cool?”</p><p>Amity bit her lip, nodding gently. “Yes, Luz. It was very cool.”</p><p>Luz chuckled again, clutching her stomach. She was only half aware of her vision beginning to go in and out.</p><p>“It was cool. But do you know what would have been <em>way</em> cooler?”</p><p>Amity frowned, leaning in to look at Luz, who was still cackling to herself, pressing her hands against her stomach, and neck, and face, in an attempt to suppress it. “What, Luz?”</p><p>Luz sighed to herself, feeling her eyes beginning to close. Was she about to fall asleep? Maybe. She was very tired after all, and her chest was aching, and her stomach was clenching so hard she was worried she might throw up. She didn’t want to do that in front of Amity.</p><p>“I would have liked to finish our dance,” Luz said, so quietly Amity had to lean in to hear it. “I was finally working up the courage to kiss you, you know.”</p><p>Luz didn’t remember much after that. Between someone hauling her limp body off the ground and yelling from all around, she had kind of zoned out. She did remember being put into some kind of car, and by that point, all she had to do was lean her head on Amity’s shoulder before she finally fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. I Meet the Mistress of Blight Manor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello hello! Hope you are well. I am back with another chapter! This one's a long one, so enjoy! </p><p>For those of you who celebrate, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas in case I am unable to update again before then. For those who don't, I hope you have a very happy holiday and get to spend some time with the people you love, even if it's virtual due to a covid crazed world. Thank you all for your continued support in this silly little fic, and I'm so happy so many of you are enjoying it :) </p><p>Until the next chapter, &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Luz woke up to the warm light of the sun, she immediately felt nauseous. Coughing, she leaned to her left and threw up. It must have been some kind of unconscious muscle memory because there was already a bucket waiting there for her.</p><p>She heard a collection of loud voices from behind her that she was too nauseous to place as well as the movement of a person, but she couldn’t focus on that right now while she was still heaving over the bucket.</p><p>There wasn’t much left in her stomach, but by the time she had finished, she rolled over and collapsed back onto whatever she’d been lying on. It was soft and decently comfortable, so she didn’t really have any complaints. Her head was spinning, and she wondered how long she’d been out.</p><p>The last thing she remembered was the prom. She’d been all dressed up, dancing with Amity, and then there were the bronze automatons and running from security….</p><p>She forced her eyes open in terror, sitting up way too quickly. She heard someone jump from across the room, and get to their feet.</p><p>“Luz, calm down. You’re hurt.”</p><p>She looked over to see Willow sitting on the other side of the bed she was in, back in her traveling clothes, and she felt relief wash over her. Willow was here, and everything was going to be fine. Thank the gods, because the movement made her immediately feel sick again, and leaned back over to the bucket, but nothing else was coming out. She was spent.</p><p>Willow was leaning over her, rubbing her back comfortingly when Luz eventually just pushed the bucket away. She groaned against the mattress she was on, clutching the sheets and trying to get a grip on her swirling stomach. When she looked down, she realized somebody had changed her. She was no longer wearing the suit, instead, she had been stripped down to the white undershirt she’d had on and a pair of sleeping shorts that definitely weren’t hers.</p><p>“Where are we?” She croaked out, looking around the room. It was nowhere Luz had been before, it was way too fancy to be familiar.</p><p>The room was massive, with dark hardwood floors and grey walls. The bed she was in was easily at least a queen, with dark magenta bedding and soft sheets. There was a dresser and a nightstand that matched the dark grey bed frame, and for god’s sake, the room had a windowsill nook for sitting, with comfortable looking magenta blankets and pillows. Against the wall where the door was, there was a little wooden desk and chair with a couple of notebooks scattered on top of it, and a bookshelf piled with books, organized by color. Luz guessed it was usually clean on a normal day, but today it was messier, with two sleeping bags scattered on the floor, and all their backpacks and supplies nestled near the windowsill.</p><p>Willow didn’t answer her question, so Luz looked back at her, blinking to make sure she wasn’t imagining her. “Willow, what happened?”</p><p>Her eyesight was foggy, and when she coughed, her side shot up with pain. She winced, clutching at it, and Willow finally moved, leaning forward to gently push Luz back into the sheets.</p><p>“Just take it easy,” she said comfortingly, and when Luz looked back up, a little clearer this time, she could make out Willow’s gentle green eyes and her comforting smile. Exhaling, Luz forced herself to relax, trying to slow down her breathing. When Willow was satisfied, she patted Luz’s arm reassuringly.</p><p>“Everything is fine. You got hurt after you pulled that stupid stunt at the university, so we needed to find a place you could rest. We’re in Cherry Hills Village.”</p><p>“Why is that name familiar?” Luz groaned, rubbing her head with her hand. “And why does my entire body feel like it’s been run over by the Minotaur?”</p><p>“Pasiphae’s son,” Willow gently corrected.</p><p>Luz slowly tried to sit up again, despite Willow’s protests. She slowly let herself sit in an upright position, her back resting against the super-soft pillows. Seriously, she felt like a Disney princess.</p><p>“Where’s Gus and Amity? Are they alright?”</p><p>Willow winced, and Luz’s eyes immediately widened. “What? What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Nothing!” Willow said quickly, holding out her hands. “Sorry, that was stupid of me. They’re fine. Everybody is okay. They’re just downstairs grabbing you some food. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”</p><p>Luz nodded slowly, exhaling. Her head was still pounding, and her chest felt like it’d been crushed from the inside out, but she was already feeling a little bit better. She said that much to Willow, who smiled.</p><p>“That’s good. The sooner you’re better, the sooner we can get moving. But no rush, take all the time you need.”</p><p>She handed Luz a glass of water that had been left for her and some Tylenol. She took them readily, gulping down a couple of sips of water before handing it back to her.</p><p>“So, what do you remember?” Willow asked, and Luz furrowed her brow as she tried to put the pieces back together. She recalled the meeting with Aphrodite, getting dressed up and going to prom, the conversation she had with Willow, losing track of time while dancing with Amity, and causing them to lose Gus and Willow…</p><p>“Thanks for that by the way,” Willow said with a scowl, and Luz chuckled in embarassment.</p><p>“Sorry.”</p><p>She recalled the automatons, and the thorn vault, and how she’d thrown the bag at the ground… but then everything else was a blur.</p><p>“That’s all you remember?” Willow asked seriously, and Luz frowned.</p><p>She felt like her head was fuzzy, and she was missing something important… but that was it. It was a wall of darkness after that.</p><p>“What happened after I blacked out?” Luz asked, and Willow shrugged her shoulders.</p><p>“Well, we had security looking for us, but thankfully they couldn’t track us after we left. I spoke to this mom who was willing to drive our “intoxicated friend” to the hospital, so we took you there. You were a babbling mess… but when you got to the hospital you just collapsed. It was pretty scary, we weren’t sure if you were going to be alright or not.”</p><p>Luz swallowed anxiously. She didn’t remember any of that.</p><p>“We sent an Iris message to camp and made Viney tell us what was in that bag. Turns out it was a combination bag… a helium/Hecate powder mix. Once we found out it was non-lethal, she told us it was probably a good idea to get you somewhere to rest and shake off your magic hangover.”</p><p>Luz felt her cheeks heat up the more Willow talked. Gods, she hoped she hadn’t said or done anything too embarrassing.</p><p>“What about the pain in my chest?”</p><p>Willow laughed. “You got launched like, seven feet into the air and straight into the ground. I’m not an Apollo camper, but even I knew you had some kind of broken rib. We’ve been giving you nectar, so hopefully, it’s not broken anymore, but I’m not surprised it still hurts.”</p><p>Luz looked around the room again, her vision starting to clear up a little bit. She could see that it was midday outside the window, the sun decently high in the sky. It was also becoming more obvious just how nice the house they were in was (if it could be even called a house). The outside lead down a huge driveway, and into a polished and clean street. It was easily just as, if not more, expensive than Orpheus’ manor.</p><p>“You said we’re at… Cherry Hills Village?” Luz asked, doing her best to recall that name. “Who… who lives here again?”</p><p>“We’re at my parents’ house.”</p><p>Luz’s head snapped to the door at the sound of Amity’s voice, breaking out into a huge grin when she saw her. Amity was standing in the door frame, a huge serving tray of food in her hands. She had changed out of her dress and was back in the long-sleeved black shirt and purple leggings, her hair in its typical half up half down style. She smiled softly when she saw Luz, and the grin on Luz’s face widened.</p><p>“Amity!”</p><p>From behind her, Gus peeked over her shoulder and waved happily to Luz, also dressed out of his suit and back into his t-shirt and button-up.</p><p>“Hey, Luz! How are you feeling?”</p><p>Luz lifted one arm to weakly wave back, wincing at the slight pain in her ribs as she did.</p><p>“A little sore, but I’ll be alright.” She turned her head back to Amity, who walked in and set the tray of food down at the end of the huge bed. “Amity, did you say we were at your parents’ house?” She lowered her voice, trying not to look too nervous. “Like… you’re parents, parents?”</p><p>Amity shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, “yeah, we’ve been here for just over a day and a half. You needed somewhere to rest, and this is the first place I could think of. Mortal police were looking all over the city for us, it’s not like we could go back to the workshop.”</p><p>“I’ve been asleep for over a day and a half?” Luz gawked, pulling at her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry guys!”</p><p>“Luz, don’t apologize,” Willow insisted, smiling reassuringly.</p><p>“Yeah, you saved our bacon back at the prom, we probably wouldn’t have gotten away without your plan,” Gus added, walking up to her and patting the comforter she was under reassuringly. He broke out into a big smile. “That thorn vault? It was awesome!”</p><p>“Besides, everything worked out,” Amity said, fiddling with the sleeve of her shirt. “We needed to get off the street anyways, and this is the place to go. Nobody bothers the Blights.” While she had started the sentence reassuringly, the tone of her voice had changed halfway through, and now had a bit of an edge to it.</p><p>Luz frowned, discomfort pricking the back of her spine. She sensed that Amity was holding something back from her. “Are… are you alright? I mean… being here? I can get dressed and we can go-”</p><p>Amity shook her head and smiled, but Luz could tell it was a little bit forced. “It’s fine, Luz. I spend the school year here, remember? Nothing I can’t handle. Just focus on healing up.”</p><p>Amity pushed the tray of food towards her, and Luz’s mouth watered. Now that she was fully waking up, she was feeling a lot less nauseous, and she realized just how hungry she was. There was a sandwich on the table, and she shoveled it into her mouth so quickly she couldn’t even tell what was in it, probably because she was barely chewing. Gus laughed, but Amity and Willow moved forward in concern.</p><p>“Luz, slow down,” Willow warned.</p><p>“Yeah, you don’t want to be sick again,” Amity added, handing her the cup on the tray. Luz took it gratefully, and this time when she swallowed, she could tell by the sweetness it was apple juice.</p><p>“Sorry,” Luz said, not really meaning it, already reaching for one of the cookies on the tray. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”</p><p>“That’s a good sign,” Willow said with a smile, taking one of the cookies as well. “Gus had also helped himself, though Luz noticed Amity didn’t and felt that discomfort come back. She got the feeling Amity wasn’t letting Luz in on everything that had happened since she passed out. Luz suddenly felt antsy, like she should get up and start trying to move.</p><p>The second she pulled the comforter off her body, and the cool air hit her exposed legs and arms, she shivered but still turned to put her feet near the floor. Amity moved right away, catching Luz by the arm.</p><p>“What are you doing?” She asked, her eyes narrowing. “You need to be taking it easy.”</p><p>“I’m fine, Amity,” Luz insisted, her feet touching the cold hardwood. She turned her head to Gus, who had just finished his cookie. “Would you pass me my backpack? I want to change.”</p><p>Gus nodded and went over to it, and Amity’s grip tightened on Luz’s arm. “Are you sure you’re alright? You shouldn’t be pushing yourself too hard.”</p><p>“The longer I’m in bed the longer Hestia is in that cage, and Belos is recruiting dead demigods,” Luz said certainly, and while her chest was still aching, it wasn’t nearly a good enough reason to be relaxing. “You still have Peleus’ shield, right?”</p><p>Amity nodded, pointing to a new bracelet on her left hand Luz hadn’t noticed before. It was bronze, like Luz’s ring, and was in the shape of an olive branch, wrapping around Amity’s wrist.</p><p>“It’s magical, like your ring,” Amity explained, and when she touched it, it shifted into the same bronze shield Luz had used to smack over the head of the automaton.</p><p>“I was reading the plaque in the classics building, and it said the shield was just as crucial to Peleus as his sword. He called it <em>Dikē</em>, the pair to <em>Aletheia</em>.” Gus pointed to Luz’s ring, “so disclosure and truth,” and then to Amity’s bracelet, “and justice and law.”</p><p>Amity extended the shield out to her. “Here, you should have it, they go together after all.”</p><p>Luz shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m no good with a shield. You keep it.”</p><p>Amity blinked, looking at Luz like she was crazy. “Really? Are you sure?”</p><p>“Positive! Besides, I can’t use a shield and my hand buzzer.” Luz insisted with a smile, and Amity turned to Willow and Gus with a frown.</p><p>“Willow, Gus? Do either of you want it?”</p><p>“I’ve got my own shield,” Gus said, pointing to his watch.</p><p>“I’m with Luz, shields aren’t really my style,” Willow added with a shrug. “Even if we did almost die getting it.”</p><p>“I said I was sorry!” Luz exclaimed, and Willow laughed.</p><p>Amity grinned, clearly excited she was able to keep the magical item. She touched the shield, and it turned back into the bracelet. Luz chuckled, gesturing to the design.</p><p>“The bracelet suits you better than it would suit me anyway. It’s really pretty. Definitely your style.”</p><p>Amity’s face flushed a deeper red, and Luz suddenly realized what she had said. Her own cheeks pinked, and Amity took a few steps back from the bed.</p><p>“I’ll… I’ll let you change then. Gus, would you help me downstairs with the maps in my father’s study?”</p><p>Gus jumped at the offer. “Obviously! Your dad’s war maps are so cool, I could look at them for hours.”</p><p>Amity nodded quickly, turning to the door. “You two can join us when you’re ready. Willow, you know the way right?”</p><p>Willow nodded, shooting Amity a knowing smile. “Yep! Fourth room on the left.”</p><p>Once Amity and Gus left, the door closing behind them, Willow broke out into a series of chuckles, turning to Luz and shaking her head.</p><p>“You’re going to kill her, you know that right?”</p><p>Luz was suddenly not feeling as cold. She laughed nervously, grabbing her backpack from where Gus had left it on the corner of the bed. She reached in and pulled out her change of clothes, and started pulling socks over her feet.</p><p>“I… I don’t know what you mean.”</p><p>“Oh, come <em>on</em> Luz,” Willow retorted, rolling her eyes. “I saw you two dancing. Then you were late to the classics building, and then when you hit yourself with that helium bomb you were all over Amity-”</p><p>“I was what?” Luz squeaked in horror. She had been halfway done pulling her cat hoodie over her head, and she forced her eyes through the hole just to look at Willow, terrified.</p><p>“Right, you don’t remember,” Willow chuckled, shaking her head affectionately. Luz was going to strangle her for being so nonchalant until she continued.</p><p>“Don’t worry, it wasn’t anything too embarrassing. But you were leaning on her shoulder the entire ride to the hospital, and then again when we were waiting for a cab. I thought Amity was going to explode, your face was right up against her ear-”</p><p>“Alright, I get it, I get it!” Luz squawked, her heart hammering so hard in her chest she was surprised it didn’t break another rib. She pulled her arms through the hoodie and slipped her leggings and shorts on next. While she reached for her shoes, she was painfully aware of Willow watching her, clearly taken aback by her reaction.</p><p>“Is everything okay? Honestly, I thought you would be happy. You do like Amity, right?”</p><p>Luz’s cheeks flushed, and she finished putting on her shoes and ran a hand through her hair. Her stomach was squirming like she’d just drank a whole glass of milk, and she thought she might be sick again, but it wasn’t from being unconscious.</p><p>“Of course I like Amity,” Luz said, and she didn’t miss the excited little smile that passed over Willow’s face. “I like Amity… a lot, actually. I’m just worried I messed things up.”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Willow asked, tilting her head.</p><p>“When we were at the prom I thought…” Luz’s palms began to sweat. “I thought I might kiss her. Then I realized you were gone and I kind of freaked out. ”</p><p>“Oh my gods, Luz! Tell me everything.”</p><p>So she ran the story by Willow, everything from the dance to the almost kiss, and when she finished, Willow winced.</p><p>“Yeah, that… could have gone smoother.”</p><p>“I’m just worried that Amity thinks I pulled away on purpose, or chickened out,” Luz explained, wringing her hands together nervously. “And then… what if she didn’t want me to kiss her? I didn’t even ask! For god’s sake, we’re on a quest to save Olympus and here I am trying to kiss one of my quest companions-”</p><p>Willow reached out and took Luz’s hand reassuringly, and Luz stopped. When she met Willow’s gaze, the daughter of Demeter was watching her carefully.</p><p>“Luz, I’ve known Amity for a long time. I don’t think she would think something like that. But even if she did, you should talk to her about it if it’s really bothering you. Sometimes all a problem needs is a little communication. I think you’d be surprised how understanding she can be.”</p><p>Luz slowly felt herself begin to feel better. Willow always had a way with words. Sometimes Luz wondered if she was secretly a child of Aphrodite.</p><p>“You’re right,” Luz said, managing a smile. “Thanks, Willow.”</p><p>“Anytime!” She said, patting her thigh. “Do you want your toothbrush? There’s a bathroom attached to Amity’s room…”</p><p>Luz made quick work of getting ready, brushing her teeth, washing her face, and fixing her hair. When she was feeling presentable, she met Willow back in Amity’s room. Now that she wasn’t just waking up, she was surprised she hadn’t recognized the space as the daughter of Aphrodite’s at first glance.</p><p>The room smelt strongly of Amity, the same lavender and mint scent she’d had after her shower in the workshop, and despite the clearly expensive furniture, the posters around the wall of the desk were very much Amity. There was one of the camp posters they sold in the shop, with this one repping Cabin Ten. Luz’s face lit up in delight when she saw posters for both the third and fourth “The Good Witch Azura” books, and she immediately wondered if Amity had read any of the book she’d let her borrow her over the day and a half they’d been here.</p><p>The Blight Manor. Luz’s stomach was starting to swirl with worry. She’d heard about the Blight parents from their daughter, and they hadn’t exactly been good things.</p><p>“What’s with the face?”</p><p>Luz turned to Willow, who was sitting on the sleeping bag on the floor, sorting through her backpack.</p><p>“What are Amity’s parents like?” Luz asked, rubbing her arm, hoping for reassurance. Just based on the look Willow shot her in return, Luz had a feeling she wasn’t going to get any.</p><p>“They’re… a lot. They haven’t really bothered us since we’ve been here, but I know Amity’s dad wanted to talk to you when you woke up.”</p><p>Luz blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. “He wants to talk to me? Why?”</p><p>Willow shrugged. “No idea, Amity seemed surprised too. I think she was expecting more of a fight when we showed up the other day. Amity’s mother wasn’t too happy to see us, but her father let us in no problem.”</p><p>Luz was now feeling a lot more anxious. What would an experienced half-blood like Mr. Blight want from a newbie like Luz?</p><p>“Try not to worry too much,” Willow said, clearly picking up on Luz’s hesitation. “Why don’t we just head down to the office? Amity and Gus are waiting for us. We have to start thinking about our next move.”</p><p>“You’re right,” Luz said with a nod, doing her best to push away her insecurities. “Hestia is still trapped, and we’re the only help she’s got. Lead the way.”</p><p>Willow and Luz left Amity’s room, walking down the hallways of Blight Manor. The aesthetic was much different in the large home than it was in Amity’s room. There was a lot of homage to Greek-style and architecture, with a variety of expensive-looking sculptures and tapestries lined up. They passed a couple of other rooms, and Luz wondered to herself if any of them belonged to the Blight twins. Eventually, Willow led Luz down a huge marble staircase, with a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling.  </p><p>It looked like Luz had been wrong. This manor was clearly more expensive than Orpheus’.</p><p>They passed a huge kitchen, with beautiful finishes, and appliances that were so advanced they could have easily been made by one of the campers from Cabin Nine. Luz remembered Amity saying her parents worked on Olympus. Maybe they were made by the god Hephaestus himself. They passed three separate seating areas, with lavish furniture and décor that made it difficult for Luz to imagine Amity or her older siblings sitting down at any of them. It was only when they passed a glorious white grand piano that Luz realized despite the obvious wealth and beauty that went into the home, nothing about it felt homely.</p><p>There was any sign of children growing up or living here. No pictures hanging on the walls, no mess in the kitchens, no cubby’s crammed with stuff like in Luz’s Mami’s apartment. It was like nobody lived here at all.  </p><p>She was starting to feel sorry for Amity.  </p><p>Luz was so zoned out in thought, she hadn’t even realized Willow had completely stopped, and she accidentally bumped into her, letting out a little “oomph!”</p><p>Willow reached behind and steadied her, and that’s when Luz looked up and saw why Willow had stopped.</p><p>A woman was standing there, easily towering eight inches over Luz. She had green hair that matched the twins, curled into a tight bun, and she was wearing a regal looking black suit, tapered in all the right professional places, with a crisp dark grey blouse and matching heels.</p><p>When Luz met her eyes, she realized with a jolt they were gold, like Amity’s. But there was something… off about them. Luz could tell the difference right away. This woman’s eyes were darker, almost like the color of a wilting dandelion, and they were currently narrowed so she could hardly see her iris'. Amity’s eyes were deeper and much more vibrant. Even when Amity was scowling, Luz could always see the golds of her eyes.</p><p>Willow’s grip tightened on her arm. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Blight.”</p><p>The woman’s gaze flickered between Willow and Luz, and Luz’s stomach had been swirling so bad at what Willow had said, (this was Amity’s MOTHER) that she forgot to introduce herself, leaving them standing there awkwardly.</p><p>“Uh, my apologies,” Luz said quickly, doing her best to recall how to properly introduce herself. Hopefully, her Mami’s training before her work Christmas party was finally going to be useful. She did her best to make eye contact, extending her hand to Mrs. Blight. “My name is Luz Noceda. Thank you for your gracious hospitality over the last two days.”</p><p>Mrs. Blight straightened, looking at Luz’s hand for a moment, and Luz began to get more nervous, worried she’d done the wrong thing. Eventually, however, she took it, and the grip was so strong Luz thought her wrist might break. She did her best to disguise her wince.</p><p>“It is my pleasure, Miss Noceda,” she said, her voice so smooth it was like velvet. Luz was having a hard time looking at her in the eyes, because the entire time she talked, nothing about her expression gave anything away. “I have heard much about you on Olympus. You are making quite the name for yourself.”</p><p>Luz laughed awkwardly. “All good things, I hope?”</p><p>Mrs. Blight’s stony expression did not waver. “Yes. Good things. You have done well to make a name for yourself in the short time you’ve been claimed. It is… impressive. I could only dream for Amity and her siblings to do the same.”</p><p>Luz fought the frown that was starting to grow on her face. That wasn’t very fair, Amity had been a little kid when she was claimed. How was a seven year old supposed to go on heroic quests to save Olympus? It was only due to Luz’s bad luck she’d manage to get into as much trouble as she already had. And Amity was a hero, she pushed herself harder than any other demigod at camp, and it showed. She wasn’t just well-liked, but well respected too. She opened her mouth to say as much but was stopped when she felt the grip on her arm tighten. She turned her head, and Willow was giving her a pleading look.</p><p>Right, this was Amity’s mother. She didn’t want to make more trouble for Amity by calling her out.</p><p>So instead, she just cleared her throat and managed a polite smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Blight.”</p><p>Amity’s mother paused again, looking Luz up and down. “You are a child of Hermes, is that correct?”</p><p>Luz nodded, and Mrs. Blight hummed under her breath.</p><p>“His children are frequently resourceful. You were able to arrive in Colorado in half the time as Amity’s first quest, as well as rescue her along the way. You’ve shown great leadership and spared the Blight name a bad reputation. For that, I am grateful, Miss Noceda.”  </p><p>Luz blinked, confused. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand. How did I spare your family name?”</p><p>Mrs. Blight’s nose crinkled, and Luz worried she’d overstepped, but then she just clicked her tongue, looking to the left towards a bronze bust Luz hadn’t noticed until now.</p><p>“When Amity first arrived here, Alador and I thought she was going to succeed with her other companions and save Olympus. When we’d learned she’d been captured… this was quite unfortunate news. We work hard to ensure our reputation of Olympus is kept intact, Miss Noceda, and anything that threatens that is… a problem.”</p><p>As Luz slowly began to process what Mrs. Blight was saying she felt a new feeling begin to rise up in her chest, and she felt her body begin to get stiff. She was angry.</p><p>How could Mrs. Blight blame Amity for what happened in Boulder? It wasn’t her fault! If it wasn’t for the ridiculous standards her parents put on her shoulders, Amity might have actually been able to recognize what the prophecy meant in the first place. She did the best she could in a terrible situation. As she felt her anger grow, Willow’s grip on her arm was starting to get impossibly tight. Thankfully, Mrs. Blight seemed to be unaware of this change in Luz.</p><p>“Regardless, now that Amity is back on the right track with you leading the quest, perhaps there is less to be concerned about. You have won the favor of… many gods.” Something in Mrs. Blight’s face changed, and Luz’s anger was temporarily broken as she watched in surprise, but it came rushing back in a flood when she continued. “So with Olympus on your side, I’m sure Amity won’t be able to make a mess of your quest this time.”</p><p>Mrs. Blight walked over to the bust, pulling a cloth out of her pocket. She ran it over the head of the figure, polishing it before taking a few steps back, her heels clicking on the marble floor. When she decided it was clear, she turned back to Luz and Willow. She eyed Luz up and down again, and Luz was suddenly reminded of the Caucasian Eagle. She had the same kind of predatory eyes as when the monster had swopped down at them.</p><p>“Following that, I want to make it clear that it is in your best interest to succeed, Miss Noceda. Any relief on your mission is a relief to my mother on Olympus. If that were not the case, I would not have let you rest in my home for as long as you have. Do you understand me?</p><p>Luz had met a handful of gods, and she was sure that making an enemy out of one would not be pleasant. But at this moment, she was certain that she would rather have an enemy out of a god than an enemy out of Amity’s mother.</p><p>“Yes, Mrs. Blight.”</p><p>Satisfied, the woman turned and walked away, leaving Luz alone with Willow and the bronze bust of the goddess Hecate.</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Amity's Dad and I Talk Serious Strategy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello everybody! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and are doing well. I am back with another chapter. It's a bit of a filler, but it has some cool plot points and character interactions that I hope you enjoy. </p><p>Since we know nothing about Amity's canon parents besides the "serious expectations" line, I went with my own interpretation of Amity's father. I kind of see him as a "stoic but less crazy than his wife" aesthetic, but you'll see a little more about him as the chapter goes on. </p><p>As always, thank you for stopping by for a read, and I hope you enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz’s anger hadn’t quite settled when Willow escorted her into a room down the lavish halls of Blight Manor, and when the door clicked shut behind them, she was quick to comment on it.</p><p>“What a total <em>witch!</em>” She said to Willow, outraged, and the daughter of Demeter winced.</p><p>“That probably could have gone better.”</p><p>“I’m guessing you met my mother then?”</p><p>Luz jumped, she hadn’t been aware anybody else was in the room, to overcome with anger to think of anything besides Amity’s terrible mother. But now, as she looked around, she realized they must be in the study Amity mentioned in her bedroom earlier.</p><p>The room was a lot less like a study and more like a war room. The walls were covered in deep maroon wallpaper and wooden trim, there was a large mahogany desk and leather chair on the left side of the room, and a huge bookshelf behind it piled with old books Luz was certain belonged in a library. On either side of the desk were two bronze figures dressed in Greek armor, the one on the left having a huge <em>falcata</em> strapped to its belt, and the other being armed with a spear. On the right side of the room, there was a marble fountain, spewing a trickle of water that created a rainbow. An Iris Message station. Luz figured this was an important staple of the room. Amity’s parents did work for Olympus after all.</p><p>There was a huge table in the middle of the room, with a shimmering blue map that looked a lot like downtown Denver. Luz could pick out some of the skyscrapers they’d drove past, as well as the market near the workshop. But as Luz watched, the table shifted, now taking on the topographic shape of a mountain range. It looked like a device that belonged in an American military base, not a study like this one. Amity and Gus were standing behind the table, Gus with a gleeful look on his face as he fiddled with the controls on the war table, and Amity watching Luz with a dry smile.</p><p>Luz felt her cheeks heat up as she realized Amity had just heard Luz trashing her mom, but thankfully she didn’t seem too bothered by it. Her arms were crossed, and Luz realized with a jolt she hadn’t responded to her.</p><p>“Uh…” Luz stuttered out, and Amity’s grin widened. Luz was sure her face was fiery with embarrassment, but she wasn’t sure if it was because she got caught, or that she was face to face with Amity again. Willow saved the day, cutting her off before she could say anything else too stupid.</p><p>“Yeah, we ran into her in the halls,” she said, summarizing their conversation as quickly as she could. When she finished, Amity’s face had darkened, and she fiddled with the strap of her belt where her sword was resting.</p><p>“I’m really sorry about her,” she said quietly, biting her lip. “And I’m sorry I messed up and put you on her radar. She can be… pretty intimidating.”</p><p>“Amity, you’re not the one who needs to apologize,” Luz insisted, the previous anger she’d been feeling returning. “What she said was completely unfair to you. You didn’t mess up. She was being overly critical.”</p><p>Amity just gave a halfhearted shrug, and Luz opened her mouth to protest again until she felt Willow’s hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“Let’s just focus on the quest,” she said, giving Luz a look that she was pretty sure meant <em>not right now</em>. “What have you guys been working on?”</p><p>“I think I’ve found us the best way through the mountain range to Mount Elbert,” Gus said, swiping his hand through the hologram so if shifted again. Now, there were a couple of patches of red mixed in with the blue, and Gus pointed at one section of it.</p><p>“This is the trail from Leadville up the mountain. It’s not an easy hike… it would take us at least eight hours to climb the mountain.”</p><p>“How is that the best option?” Luz exclaimed in shock, her calves already burning just thinking about it.</p><p>“Well, the bus will only take us to Fairplay, and if we do that we’d have to walk all the way up Mt. Lincoln to get anywhere close to Mt. Elbert,” Gus said slowly drawing his hand through another red section, and Amity nodded, pointing just to the west of that.</p><p>“We don’t want to do that unless we absolutely have to. We should stay as far away from Granite as we can. Mt. Harvard has a den of monsters that live away from the centaurs on Mt. Elbert. We’d be taking a big risk.”</p><p>“So we have no other choice then,” Willow said, her mouth twisting into a firm line. “We’re hiking.”</p><p>“Great,” Luz said with a groan. “But at least we have a plan. How are we getting to Leadville?”</p><p>“That’s the other problem,” Gus said with a frown, zooming in on the map to where they were right now in Cherry Hills Village. “The cab there is three hours long. It’s going to take every dollar we have to get there.”</p><p>“So we’ll have no way back once we arrive,” Willow realized, and Luz’s stomach dropped with dread.</p><p>They would be stuck there, no going back. Luz was praying to every god she could think of they wouldn’t have to walk all the way back to Denver when they were done their quest.</p><p>“We don’t have any other choice,” Amity said reaching over to swipe her finger back to Mt. Elbert. Luz nodded, making eye contact with Amity. The daughter of Aphrodite was watching her with a bleak expression on her face, and Luz wondered momentarily if she’d had this exact same conversation with Boscha and Skara the first time she’d left camp.</p><p>They hadn’t made it to the mountain before they’d been stopped by Achilles, and just by the look on her face, Luz knew it was really bothering her. Luz had a feeling Amity wasn’t going to just roll over and let a thing like money stop them from moving forward. Especially after she’d just heard what her mother had said about her. So, Luz reached forward and poked the little red circle on Leadville, and it lit up green.  </p><p>“Amity’s right, if we don’t go Hestia is going to be stuck there and Belos will keep on using his portal to revive the dead. We have to stop this. Leadville it is.”</p><p>There was a brief silence over the table, as Willow and Gus looked at one another before they nodded.</p><p>“Alright, then we better leave tomorrow morning,” Willow suggested, peering down at the map. “If we get to Leadville before noon we might be able to make it up the mountain before nightfall.”</p><p>“If we don’t run into any trouble,” Amity added with a frown.</p><p>“Yeah, and when have we ever been that lucky?” Gus asked, and Luz couldn’t help but chuckle. As crazy and dangerous as this whole situation was, there was nothing she and her friends couldn’t handle when they worked together as a team. Luz reached over and threw her arm around Willow’s shoulders, shooting Gus and Amity a beaming smile.</p><p>“We might not be lucky, but we’re the underdogs remember? We’ll make this work, I know it!”</p><p>Luz wasn’t sure if her pep talk was enough to encourage her friends, but she didn’t get the chance to find out. There was a firm knocking at the door, and Luz turned her head to look and a man slowly opened the door and stepped inside.</p><p>Her first thought when she saw him was that he looked exactly like the Blight Twins. They had the same curve of their cheekbones, the same shape of their eyes, the same bend in their eyebrows, and the same straight shoulders. In fact, if the man hadn’t had auburn hair, Luz would have thought this was an older version of Edric.</p><p>Then, she saw his eyes, and she changed her mind. Now, he looked so much like Amity it was freaking Luz out. But this wasn’t an Aphrodite situation, the man looked like Amity in a way that was… human. Not in a way to scare Luz and “reveal herself” to the goddess. His hair was the same color as the roots of Amity’s. His eyes were gold, and the exact same shade and color. He stood like Amity too, with a regal posture that reminded Luz just how important the Blight family was.</p><p>How it was a very, very, bad idea to get on their bad side.</p><p>She didn’t need the pinch on her shoulder from Willow to let her know that this, without a doubt, was Amity’s father.</p><p>As the man stepped inside, Luz got another chance to look at him, and realize just how different he was from the rest of the Blights. He was, and there was no other way to say it, jacked, while his children and his wife were toned. He was wearing a white dress shirt and a navy blue pinstripe vest, but the sleeves were rolled up to reveal massive muscles in his arms. He had broad shoulders and a sharp jawline, and as he stepped forward, his oxford shoes made muffled clicks on the marble floor.</p><p>Luz could also tell that while he was clearly well respected, he wasn’t trying to appear flawless the way Mrs. Blight had been. There were a few streaks of grey in his styled hair. His goatee was clean and styled but had a couple of patches on the underside of his jaw. He had a few aging lines in his face, whereas Mrs. Blight’s had been tight and smooth. Luz was both startled and worried about these things. She didn’t know if she should let her guard down, or be even more terrified of Mr. Blight. The sight of imperfection unnerved her in a way that Mrs. Blight hadn’t.</p><p>Luz and her friends straightened as Mr. Blight looked around the room, revealing nothing on his face. He looked briefly to the holographic table, before he hummed, and fixed his eyes on Luz.</p><p>“I see you are making good progress. I was told by my wife that Miss Noceda was awake, and came by to introduce myself.”</p><p>Luz swallowed. She remembered Amity saying that Mr. Blight had wanted to talk to her, and she wasn’t exactly excited. But she steeled herself and stepped forward, making eye contact and extending her hand out to him.</p><p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Blight.”</p><p>Something glittered in Mr. Blight’s eyes, something Luz had no idea what to make of. Behind her, Luz could feel Amity’s eyes on her back. But then, he stepped forward, and took her hand, shaking it. It was firm, but not too hard like Mrs. Blight’s had been.</p><p>“The pleasure is all mine. Please, ignore the formalities. You may call me Alador.”</p><p>It felt like Luz’s whole body exhaled, and she was shocked her hands weren’t shaking. Behind her, she didn’t miss Amity’s feet shuffling.</p><p>A first-name basis. This was good.</p><p>Amity’s father looked around the room at her friends, before clearing his throat.</p><p>“My apologies for the interruption, I know how important this quest is, but if it’s alright with you three I would like to have a quick word with Miss Noceda. The chef has prepared meals for you in the kitchen, and when we are done you can get right back to your work.”</p><p>Luz’s heart did a little jump as she realized what was happening. She was about to be alone with Amity’s father. What did she do to deserve this? For a quick second, Luz panicked thinking he somehow knew about what happened at the prom. Was he going to give her a talk? Forbid her from seeing Amity again? It wasn’t like they were… a thing. Luz guessed that they weren’t just… nothing, especially based on what had happened, but her memory about the whole situation was still foggy and, oh no, she was starting to spiral.</p><p>She wasn’t sure exactly how it happened, but soon Willow and Gus were leaving the room, and Amity was right next to Luz, gently putting her hand on her shoulder. Luz’s attention was quickly shifting to the feeling of her hand, and it jolted her back to reality. She did her best to focus on Amity, and calm her rapidly beating heart.</p><p>“I’ll be in the kitchen,” Amity whispered to her after a moment, and Luz knew this was the best Amity could get to encouragement in front of her father. “I’ll bring you something to eat.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Luz said, doing her best to express just how grateful she was. Amity just smiled and nodded, before slowly exiting the room and closing the door behind her.</p><p>Alador Blight stood there for a moment, and she caught him shuffle his feet once. Luz looked up at him curiously. She still wasn’t sure what to make of him, but now that they were alone Luz was a lot less afraid of him. He wasn’t as tall as his wife was, but maybe that was because of her heels, and because of that he looked… a lot more human now that they were alone.</p><p>“I don’t want to keep you too long Miss Noceda-”</p><p>“Luz is fine,” she said quietly, not wanting to interrupt him but also unable to stand another moment of the awkwardness of Amity’s parents using her last name. Thankfully, he didn’t seem bothered by it, instead just nodding slowly.</p><p>“Right, I don’t want to keep you too long, Luz, but I felt obligated to have a conversation with you after what I overheard on Olympus this last weekend.”</p><p>Luz blinked. She really wasn’t sure she understood what he was saying. “Pardon me?”</p><p>“Do you have a plan for stopping Belos when you arrive at Mount Pelion?” Alador asked seriously, and Luz felt her palms beginning to sweat.</p><p>She realized she didn’t. She didn’t have any kind of plan at all. All she’d been focusing on so far was getting there.</p><p>“I guess… I guess we’re trying to destroy the portal he’s created to the Underworld. Hopefully, it stops him from reviving dead demigods.”</p><p>Alador nodded, walking around Luz to head over to his desk. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a notepad, opening it and flipping to a page.</p><p>“I am a battle engineer on Olympus, and I work alongside my wife to fortify the palace and ensure the safety of everyone who lives there. I often work on blueprints with some of the other gods, and my father slipped something to me that I felt important for you to hear.”</p><p>He picked up the notepad and walked around and back over to her. He leaned against the desk, flipping another page, and gesturing with his hand for Luz to come closer. As she stepped near him and looked down, she realized he had drawn a little graph on the paper. A circle: with three lines splitting down the middle. In each space, a tiny flame.</p><p>“He said that Hestia was not just the glue to Olympus, but the key to the balance of worlds. What opens on one side must close on another. I think there is more to stopping Belos than just destroying him. If he dies, he will simply return to the Underworld and start again. If you can decode how he rose to power, you can stop him from doing it again.”</p><p>Luz’s brow furrowed, and she leaned in to examine the paper further. She felt like gears were turning in her head. “Eda told me that every hero has a fatal flaw. Achilles’ heel, Theseus’ recklessness. But what about Belos? What’s his flaw? Maybe that’s the best way to figure out how to stop him.”</p><p>Alador was watching her, and when Luz looked up, his eyes were unreadable. Luz swallowed nervously and leaned back away from the paper. When he saw her do this, he chuckled.</p><p>“I can see why Olympus has taken a liking to you, Luz.”</p><p>Luz felt her cheeks heat up, and she nervously ran her hands down her shorts. She just couldn’t figure out Amity’s father.</p><p>“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”</p><p>Alador tilted his head, before ripping the page out of the notebook and handing it to her. Luz took it, her hands shaking nervously as she folded it and tucked it into her pocket.</p><p>“Heroes for many years have followed a very similar formula. They are claimed, they kill monsters, they save Olympus, and then they die. When it comes to being a half-blood, a lot of us know no other way. It is in our nature to do this.”</p><p>Alador walked over to the hologram and ran his finger through it, and it suddenly pulled up a map of Camp Half-Blood. It was so detailed, Luz’s heart began hammering in her chest. She missed this place so much. But as she peered in, she realized it was more than just a map. The names of campers were popping up all over the place, moving in real-time. Luz’s eyes widened when she saw familiar ones appear on the table. Viney and Emira were together outside the sword fighting arena. Jerbo and Luz’s siblings were on the beach. Eda and Lilith were together in the Big House. It made Luz’s heart hurt, reminding her of all her friends back at camp she was missing already. When Luz looked back at Alador, her eyes widened again in shock. His face was wearing a very similar expression.</p><p>“I lived that life too, Luz.” He said quietly, reaching out his hand to hover over the hologram. “The claiming, the training, the adventure. Then, when I grew up, I got to live it again through my children. I know things aren’t always easy for them, and I know how much pressure they are under. A lot of that is my fault, with the expectations and the need for success. But it is just who we are. It is what we do. A half-bloods nature is to defend Olympus.”</p><p>Alador turned to Luz, and reached down, adjusting his vest. His soft expression had vanished, instead been replaced with curiosity. </p><p>“And then, there’s you. Olympus has kept its eyes on you for some time. Hermes children are not often the big heroes we expect. They are companions, they are sneaky, they are often miscellaneous by nature. But here you are, favored by gods in a way none have before. They admire your energy, your heart, and your instinct. So when you ask me what I mean, Luz, that is what I mean.”</p><p>Luz had no idea what stupid thought had encouraged her to ask, but before she knew it, she was already talking. “You’re talking about Aphrodite, aren’t you?”</p><p>There was a stony silence. A couple of expressions crossed Alador’s face. Surprise, discomfort, annoyance, and Luz was quick to correct herself.</p><p>“I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean too-”</p><p>He held up a hand, and Luz was silent. She bit her lip nervously, and Amity’s father took a breath before he looked up at her again, his face neutral.</p><p>“It’s alright. To answer your question, yes, I was referring to Aphrodite, among a few others. Your father is one, and Athena and Demeter are watching you closely as well. Even my father admires your strength, as displayed with your fearlessness against the Caucasian Eagle. Though, forgive him if the god of war keeps a stronger eye on his granddaughter. He believes Amity has a score to settle.”</p><p>Alador chuckled again to himself, which was a really weird thing for Luz to hear. She wondered how often he acted like this. It was hard to picture him being soft around Mrs. Blight.</p><p>“Regardless, you are trusted by Olympus, Luz. It is rare that the love goddess would visit a hero, never mind gift them with an item like Peleus’ shield. I was quite shocked when Amity showed it to me earlier. I never pictured my daughter holding an item of such power.”</p><p>Something about his comment stirred up feelings inside of Luz, and she couldn’t help it before she rushed out another comment. “Amity is worthy of using Peleus’ shield. She’s saved my life more than once.”</p><p>Alador looked surprised at Luz’s outburst. “Of course she is. I never said she wasn’t.”</p><p>Luz felt her cheeks begin to heat up. “I… sorry sir, I didn’t mean-”</p><p>“You needn’t apologize,” he said, and Luz thought that Alador Blight was also not entirely unaware of why Luz had jumped to defend Amity. He cleared his throat, adjusting the collar of his shirt.  </p><p>“I must confess to you, Luz, that I harbor quite a bit of guilt over the last time I saw my daughter. I gave her the map through the mountains, and it did nothing but lead her astray, and result in fighting amongst the gods when she was taken. She was blamed for my actions, and Odalia has not entirely forgiven her for it.”</p><p>Luz was surprised at Alador’s confession, and it struck her than just how alike he and Amity were. Amity was also the kind of person to take the blame for something that wasn’t her fault. Alador wasn’t a perfect man, Luz knew that just from the ways Amity had explained her situation at home and the endless expectations that were put upon her, but Luz was starting to think she understood Alador better and better the more they talked.</p><p>“With all due respect, it’s not your fault sir, and it’s not Amity’s either,” Luz said slowly, and Alador looked up, tilting his head curiously. Luz didn’t want to impose too much of her opinion of Alador, but she also wondered if maybe she could help Amity by talking to her father.</p><p>“The only ones to blame for everything that has happened is Belos and his revived demigods. That’s our mission, after all, to stop them from causing more damage. There’s no reason for you or Mrs. Blight to worry about Amity’s standing with Olympus.”</p><p>Alador hummed, “you are right about that, but unfortunately things on Olympus are never so black and white. My wife is right when she says it is in your best interest to succeed. There is always a person to be blamed when things go astray.”</p><p>Amity’s father closed the notebook and set it back on his desk. “I won’t keep you. I know Amity cannot relax until every plan has been made and set. But think about what I’ve told you about the balance of the world. I do believe this is the only way to save Olympus.”</p><p>He headed for the door and opened it, and Luz couldn’t stop one final question from flying out of her mouth.</p><p>“When you were talking to Ares, did he tell you anything about my dad?” The second she said it she cringed. Gods, she sounded like an anxious little kid. She didn’t want either Alador or Hermes to think she was desperate for his attention.</p><p>Alador paused, turning back to Luz with what only looked like sympathy. Luz realized maybe Alador had a point when he said a lot of demigods were the same. Loving and present parents were not a universal experience for them.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Luz. He didn’t.”</p><p>Luz couldn’t help but deflate, and she silently cursed herself for feeling so disappointed. He was a god, after all, Hermes couldn’t be always there looking out for her. Alador seemed to catch this because he smiled softly. The second he did it, Luz’s stomach flipped. It was the same smile Amity just gave Luz to offer her encouragement.</p><p>“I know it’s not the same, but if it’s any solace, your father has been looking out in more ways than one. Try and think about it.”</p><p>With that, he closed the door, leaving Luz alone in the study with her thoughts, the small trickle of water from the fountain echoing around the room.</p>
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<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Amity Gets in Touch with her Ares Side</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi yall</p><p>no notes for this chapter, only pain with the angst that is to come!</p><p>with that out of the way, enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you sure you’re okay?” Amity said quietly, watching Luz carefully from next to her by the holographic table.</p><p>Luz had probably zoned out again, staring at the map of Mt. Elbert with a frown on her face. She was trying not to worry her friends, but the more she thought about her conversation with Alador Blight, the more worried she got.</p><p>What did he mean by her dad was looking out for her? She hadn’t heard a word from him her entire life. How could he be watching her? And what was this whole “balance of the world” thing? The paper Alador had given her was still sitting in her pocket, and she could picture the little map he’d drawn without needing to look.</p><p>The fire made no sense. Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and home. Why would Belos need Hestia’s hearth to open the portal? Why not a god-like Hephaestus, whose fire was used to create and destroy? It just didn’t make any sense.</p><p>Luz knew she was onto something, she had a gut feeling she was on the right track, but she’d hit a roadblock in her thinking, and couldn’t shake the feeling she was missing something big.</p><p>Now, as she zoned back into reality, she noticed that her friends were watching her with a worried expression. She had told them about most of the conversation with Alador, (leaving out the little part where she’d asked out her dad, it wasn’t like it mattered anyway) and Amity had listened quietly while worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.</p><p>That had surprised Luz, she would think that it was good she and Amity’s dad had a relatively good interaction. Anything was better than talking to Odalia Blight again. She’d ask Amity later about it.</p><p>Now, though, she had to worry about acting as normal as possible. She didn’t need to unload her spiraling brain on her friends.</p><p>“I’m alright,” Luz insisted, and carefully reached under the table, taking Amity’s hand gently and squeezing it. The action itself was bold, and Luz didn’t know how she’d gotten the course to do it, but judging by the heavy blush that built its way up Amity’s face she hadn’t seemed to mind.</p><p>“Ok,” she responded after a moment, swallowing hard. “I just… my parents aren’t the easiest people to deal with. You’re sure things with my father went fine?”</p><p>Luz nodded, tossing Amity a little half-smile. “Yeah, I think they did. I don’t know what I did to deserve it… but I think your dad likes me.”</p><p>The little giggle that came out of Amity’s mouth made Luz’s stomach do flip flops. She wondered if she’d accidentally drank milk instead of apple juice with her dinner.</p><p>She had no idea how long she’d been standing there smiling, (and probably looking like an idiot while it happened) but it was long enough that Willow awkwardly cleared her throat and put her arm around Gus’s shoulders, who was so enamored by the war table he hadn’t really been paying attention.</p><p>“Right, then if you’re all good, Gus and I should go get our stuff packed, especially since we’re planning to leave bright and early.”</p><p>“We should?” Gus said, looking up at Willow with a furrowed brow. Willow elbowed him, and he yelped, clutching his arm. “Ow! Okay fine, let’s go pack.”</p><p>The two quickly shuffled out of the room, leaving Amity and Luz standing there awkwardly. Luz pressed her hands against the war table, fixating her eyes on the holographic Mt. Elbert. She could hear Amity shuffling her feet beside her.  </p><p>It’s not like Luz was feeling awkward around Amity, because she wasn’t. She had nothing to feel awkward about. All things considered, she and Amity were in a really good place. They were closer than they ever had been, a real team, and had gotten closer in more ways than one.</p><p>So why was Luz feeling so awkward?</p><p>Amity eventually cleared her throat, and Luz made the mistake of looking up at her. She watched Amity pull back a strand of hair behind her ear, and Luz watched, unable to tear her eyes away. Eventually, she met Amity’s eyes and saw that her face had pinked.</p><p>Luz looked away quickly, her own blush forming at being caught staring.</p><p>“So, your dad is not what I expected,” Luz said quickly, and when she looked up again she saw that Amity’s face had fallen. She looked disappointed again, like she’d had when they’d been waiting outside of the workshop for the taxi to prom.</p><p>“Yeah, he’s… a little unpredictable,” Amity said carefully, her eyes training to one of the bronze figures dressed in Greek armor. “But most Ares kids are like that… so it’s not surprising.”</p><p>“Ares is your grandfather,” Luz said slowly, and Amity’s face dipped into annoyance.</p><p>“Yeah? And?”</p><p>Luz couldn’t help but chuckle at that, leaning over to gently push Amity’s shoulder with her fist. “Nothing, it’s just that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, you know?”</p><p>“Are you calling me unpredictable?” She retorted, her face twisting dangerously. Luz forgot how intimidating Amity could be when she tried, but right now it only caused Luz to laugh louder at the irony of it all.</p><p>“You’re kind of proving my point right now,” Luz pointed out, and Amity blinked. After a moment she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.</p><p>“You’re right, sorry.”</p><p>“It’s alright,” Luz said with a shrug, tilting her head to shoot Amity a teasing smile. “I don’t really know if you could have any of Ares’ godly DNA anyway, but it would explain where all that skill with your sword comes from. Those moves during capture the flag? All Ares.”</p><p>Amity blushed again, all her previous annoyance forgotten. “The second generation of kids born from half-bloods are called legacies. If their parents are half-bloods, then sometimes they can show abilities from their godly grandparents, but they’re usually pretty diluted. I guess I never really thought about myself as being both a half-blood and a legacy.”</p><p>“What? The great Amity Blight?” Luz exclaimed, putting on a flaunty voice that was probably insulting to British people. “Camp Half-Blood’s prodigy and the co-leader on the quest to save Olympus breaking yet another half-blood boundary? I’m shocked.”</p><p>“Oh shut up,” Amity laughed, pushing against Luz’s shoulder hard.</p><p>Luz was laughing when she’d been pushed, but she also hadn’t been expecting the force that came with the nudge, and couldn’t help but stumble back and lose her footing. She probably would have hit the ground flat on her back if Amity hadn’t also seen it, reaching forward and wrapping her hands quickly around her waist to steady her.</p><p>When Luz looked up, she suddenly became very aware of how close the two of them were. Amity’s face was inches from hers, so close she could feel the shaky exhale of breath on her face, and once again see the splash of freckles across her nose. Luz’s mouth suddenly felt very dry, and without meaning to her eyes once again darted down to glance once at Amity’s lips.</p><p>But this wasn’t the Luz at the prom. She wasn’t dancing with Amity under the florescent lights of the university ballroom, dressed her best in a suit and filled with the confidence of a pep talk from her best friend. This was the Luz who was dreading a hike up a dangerous and probably life-threatening mountain, so zoned out thinking about what was coming next she couldn’t even fathom the idea of what would happen if she closed the gap between them. So, like a coward, she swallowed and leaned back, and Amity’s hands fell from around her waist and awkwardly back at her sides.</p><p>When Luz looked back up, she couldn’t handle the deep look of hurt on Amity’s face, and she knew she’d probably made another one of those big mistakes she couldn’t take back.</p><p>But the swirling in her stomach wouldn’t let her do anything about it. Instead, she just did what Luz did best in a crisis.</p><p>She rambled.</p><p>“You’re dad said he feels guilty about the last time you were here.”</p><p>Whatever kind of reaction she’d been expecting out of Amity was nothing compared to what she did next. Amity’s face dropped from disappointed to furious in a matter of seconds. In the blink of an eye, Amity was suddenly clenching her fists, her eyes narrowing to a point where Luz could barely see the golds of her eyes.</p><p>“He what?” She said, so quietly it was almost a whisper. But Luz knew better. Amity was a moment away from exploding. It was the same expression she’d had on her face during capture the flag, right before Luz had shocked her.</p><p>Luz recoiled out of reflex, backing up until the small of her back smacked against the side of the war table.</p><p>“Uh,” she said meekly, not wanting to anger her any further. “I don’t know if you actually want me to repeat it or if you were just asking rhetorically…”</p><p>“I heard you,” Amity said, and when Luz didn’t give any sort of reply to that, she just scoffed loudly, turning to the left and walking in quick paces back and forth along the length of the room. “I just can’t believe he would say something like that.”</p><p>Luz’s confusion was quickly starting to outweigh her fear at Amity’s angry reaction.</p><p>“Wait… you can’t believe he would feel guilty?”</p><p>“He doesn’t have the right to feel guilty!” Amity snapped, turning back to her furiously, and Luz shrunk back against the table. “He isn’t allowed to just pull you aside and talk to you about how he feels guilty behind my back when he did nothing to defend me in the first place! If he feels so guilty, he should do something about it! Blame Achilles for throwing us off course, or the oracle for making this prophecy the most confusing and ridiculous thing in the entire world!”</p><p>Amity took a deep, shuddering. breath, turning back to look Luz in the eye. When Luz saw her face, she felt like her entire heart was tearing in two. Amity looked devastated, a single tear threatening to fall down her face. Her next words were broken, cracking like she could barely say it. “If he really cared, he would call out my stupid mother for throwing me under the bus. He would be there for me, instead of making me feel like this whole thing is my fault.”</p><p>When Amity brought her hands up to her face, Luz could see that they were shaking. She used on hand to wipe under her eyes, and she scoffed, but it wasn’t humorous at all. It was the sound of a girl who had the weight of the entire world on her shoulders when she’d never asked for it.</p><p>“Why is everything always my fault?”  </p><p>Luz lunged forward out of instinct, stepping towards Amity and pulling her close, wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her into a tight hug. Amity took a shaky breath at the embrace, and Luz gave her a moment to pull away if it was too much.</p><p>For a second, she thought Amity might. But then, her hands tentatively wrapped around Luz’s shoulder blades, and she leaned in, pressing her face tight against Luz’s collarbone. She gripped the back of Luz’s hoodie with her hands, and just cried into her shoulder. Luz stood there silently, letting her cry, rubbing reassuring circles around the small of her back.</p><p>After a little while, Amity’s face turned, and Luz could see the damp patch on her hoodie where Amity’s tears had soaked it.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Amity said shakily, and Luz just shook her head, tightening her grip on her waist.</p><p>“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Luz replied gently. “Take as much time as you need.”</p><p>With another shaky breath, Amity leaned back into Luz’s shoulder, crying a lot less quietly now. But Luz could feel her body shaking, so she just nestled her cheek into Amity’s hair, holding her tightly.</p><p>Eventually, Amity did pull away, just enough that they were still almost nose to nose. Amity’s hands were still wrapped up in Luz’s hoodie, and she took a few shaky breaths. Her mouth opened and closed softly, like she wanted to say something, but no words were coming out.</p><p>When she looked up at Luz, she saw guilt flashing in her gold eyes, and Luz shook her head gently, reaching up to gently wipe a tear away from her face with her thumb.</p><p>“Amity, stop,” she whispered softly, “you don’t need to feel upset with yourself for crying. Everything you’re feeling right now is okay.”</p><p>The daughter of Aphrodite swallowed thickly, before bobbing her head. Luz smiled, using the hand that was already on her face to gently cup her chin.</p><p>“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. Okay?”</p><p>Amity sniffled, but she managed a weak smile. “Okay. Thank you, Luz, I-”</p><p>“What is going on in here?”</p><p>Amity leaped away from Luz like she was on fire hastily reaching up to rub and her cheeks. Luz spun around, so startled she almost called out her sword. Her eyes widened in horror when she was met with the towering figure of Odalia Blight, her eyes narrowed and set upon the two of them.</p><p>She looked at Luz almost with disinterest (Luz tried not to feel too offended by that), but then her head turned, and her eyes bore into Amity with a ferocity that shook Luz to the bone. Odalia Blight pushed her shoulders back straight, and crossed her hands in front of her, raising her index finger to point at her. It wasn’t an inherently scary gesture, but Amity flinched, her back bumping into the war table.</p><p>“Amity,” Odalia said, and the tone was so frosty it sent shivers down Luz’s spine. The temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees. “Have you been… crying?”</p><p>Amity straightened her back, and Luz saw that she was desperately trying to hold face against her mother, but it just had no effect. Her eyes were still red and her cheeks tearstained, and her hands were pressed against the back of the table so hard her knuckles were turning white. When she opened her mouth, Odalia’s eyes seemed to narrow again, and the atmosphere got even colder.</p><p>“Don’t even think of lying to me.”</p><p>It was suddenly occurring to Luz that the room was actually getting colder. Goosebumps were rising on her skin, and when she exhaled, she could see her own breath. When she looked over, she saw that Odalia’s index finger was spinning very slowly. Luz hadn’t been a half-blood for long, but even she could tell that this was magic.</p><p>Luz’s heart was hammering in her chest at the tension, but she also couldn’t help but feel a protective spark beginning to rise up in her stomach. Amity didn’t deserve this. She already pushed herself too hard, it wasn’t fair that Odalia would catch them the first time Amity had ever been able to acknowledge and feel her pain.</p><p>She clenched her fists at her sides, doing her best not to glare daggers at Odalia. Luz always made things worse, and she knew it would really hurt Amity if she made things worse.</p><p>“Yes, ma’am,” Amity said softly, and despite her voice not wavering, Luz could tell she was panicking.</p><p>“So explain to me, Amity,” Odalia replied, taking a single step closer, her eyes narrowing even further at her confession. “What would a demigod in your position have to cry about?”</p><p>Luz’s jaw clamped, and she fought the urge to charge at Odalia right then and there as Amity recoiled. How could Odalia not see that <em>she </em>was the reason Amity was crying? Her and her horrible expectations and standards impossible for Amity to uphold.</p><p>Maybe she did know. Maybe Odalia was just a completely vile person. Luz was having a hard time reminding herself not to intervene.</p><p>“You have been given a tremendous opportunity at a second chance after your repulsive first failure.” Odalia continues, taking another step forward. “You put both me, your father, and your siblings to shame.”</p><p>Luz couldn’t do this anymore. She couldn’t watch this. She couldn’t let Amity hear this for one more second.</p><p>“You should be overjoyed. At the very least, you should be helping your companion instead of crying on her shoulder over your petty and childish issues.”</p><p>Something in Luz snapped, and she stepped forward furiously, right between Amity and Odalia. The rage had built to a point where she was seeing red, and she held out her arms protectively.</p><p>“Leave her alone! Why are you talking to her like that?”</p><p>Odalia blinked, and for the first time Luz saw what looked like surprise on Odalia Blight’s face, but it was quickly replaced with anger. “Excuse me?”</p><p>“Luz!” Amity whispered from behind her, and Luz turned her head to look. Amity was staring at her with wide eyes, panicked, but not pleading for her to stop talking. Luz took that as her cue to keep going.</p><p>“Amity did not fail you, or her dad, or anybody else,” Luz spat ferociously, staring her down. “She works harder than anybody else I’ve ever met, and she’s saved my life more than once. You’re being cruel to her for no reason!”</p><p>“And what gives you the right to talk to me about how to raise my daughter?” Odalia shrieked, and if Luz hadn’t been so angry, she probably would have been terrified by the way Amity’s mother was yelling at her.</p><p>“I’m her friend!” Luz yelled back, stamping her foot so hard it caused all the objects on Adalor’s desk to tremble and the bronze armor on the figures to clack together. In the back of her mind, Luz knew she was taking it too far. She heard footsteps sprinting down the hall, and vaguely saw the heads of Willow and Gus watching silently in the doorway. She thought she might have seen Alador’s shadow standing behind them too, but she was too angry to tell.</p><p>She pointed an accusing finger at Odalia, staring her down with every last scrap of rage she could muster.</p><p> “I care about Amity. I won’t let you treat her like she’s worthless when you’re not even half the demigod she is-”</p><p>Everything happened very fast after that.</p><p>Before Luz could even register what was happening, Odalia had thrown the knife. She wasn’t even sure where it had come from, maybe the inside of her suit pants, or maybe she’d had it in her hand the whole time and Luz just had been too angry to notice. But she was able to recognize that it was spinning towards her and that there was no chance she would be able to dodge it unless she wanted it to sink into Amity’s stomach.</p><p>So she just braced for the impact of the knife into her chest, but it never came. In front of her, a hand was thrown out to protect her, a bronze shield shifting in an instant to deflect the knife and send it scattering loudly across the floor.</p><p>Amity’s shield.</p><p>The daughter of Aphrodite stood with her chin close to Luz’s ear, breathing heavily as she glared at her mother. Her arm was crooked across Luz’s chest, the shield still covering her body.</p><p>“You can do anything you want to me,” Amity said, her voice void of any fear she might have been feeling before, “but you don’t touch her.”</p><p>There was a brutally tense silence. For a second, nobody moved, everybody staring each other down, but then Odalia straightened. She adjusted her blazer, crossed her hands together, and then turned her head completely away from them towards the door.</p><p>“Get out.”</p><p>Amity moved her hand away from Luz, and the shield transformed back into a bracelet. Reaching over, she took Luz’s hand firmly in hers, and she walked quickly out of the study. Willow and Gus were waiting by the door with their bags, and they slung them over their shoulders. Luz wasn’t able to look at Willow or Gus as she took it, too afraid of confronting what had just happened.</p><p>Instead, Amity’s grip tightened on her hand, and she pulled Luz towards the entrance to the manor, Willow and Gus loyally on their heels. Amity pushed open the huge double doors, and Luz felt a cool rush of the summer night’s air hit her face as she descended the stairs.</p><p>As they walked down the driveway and past the gates, Willow and Gus slowly fell in line to Luz’s right. They took off straight down the street, and even though Amity didn’t look back, Luz couldn’t help herself.</p><p>As she turned around to see the Blight Manor getting smaller and smaller the farther they walked, she locked eyes with Amity’s father standing on the steps of the manor.</p><p>Luz thinks she was probably the first person to ever see Alador Blight shed a tear.</p>
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<a name="section0023"><h2>23. I Find Out that Death Tastes like Rotting Chicken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welcome back!!!</p><p>I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the last chapter. I had a blast writing it. We're nearing the final push of this story, well over 2/3's of the way done, and I'm still so blown away by the number of you who are enjoying this fanfic. Thank you so much for your love &lt;3</p><p>Without further ado, here is chapter 23 :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz had no choice, she had to use her phone and call them a cab. Unless they wanted to just keep walking until they were inevitably cornered by some night monster looking to grab exhausted demigods off the street.</p><p>The second she’d reached in her backpack and turned on her phone, she’d gotten a handful of texts from her Mami. Deciding to ignore them for now and look later, she ordered the cab to pick them up at the public library a couple of blocks down the road. When it’d arrived, Luz had quietly told the cabbie to take them to Leadville before climbing in the backseat next to Amity while Gus sat in the front.</p><p>It was a horribly silent three-hour ride.</p><p>The cabbie was playing some of his music in the front, which was a nice distraction for Luz since she couldn’t stop nervously looking over at Amity. The daughter of Aphrodite was staring out the window, and Luz couldn’t see her face, but she could see the subtle shaking of her shoulders. Luz didn’t know if she was crying or desperately trying not to.</p><p>She wanted to reach out with her hand, to touch Amity’s shoulder and offer some kind of comfort, but the girl had purposefully turned away from her, and Luz was already starting to feel incredibly guilty for what happened. She had been the one to start the fight and escalate things to the point where they’d exploded.</p><p>She’d done it again. Just like her Mami said, she’d retaliated, and hurt Amity in the process.</p><p>So, she just swallowed, turning her head back down to look anywhere but at her. She felt a soft hand on her knee, and when she looked over, she saw Willow watching her with kind eyes.</p><p>Luz swallowed, trying to keep her lip from quivering. Willow gave her the tiniest smile and squeezed her knee again, and Luz watched her eyes flicker back over between her and Amity. Something in Luz’s head clicked, and with courage she didn’t have before she reached over and gently rested her hand on top of Amity’s.</p><p>She jumped, clearly not expecting it. Luz waited, watching to see if she would pull away, but instead, she just leaned into the touch, linking their fingers together. She finally looked over at Luz, her gold eyes watery and red. Luz’s guilt flooded right back up in her chest, and she opened her mouth to apologize, but Amity just shook her head.</p><p>“Don’t, Luz.” She whispered, and it was so quiet, if Luz hadn’t been leaning into her she would have missed it. “It’s not your fault.”</p><p>“Maybe,” Luz tried, but it didn’t sound reassuring. “It’s not <em>not </em>my fault though.”</p><p>Amity’s face tightened, looking at Luz with an expression she couldn’t read. Luz thought that maybe she was going to pull away, but instead, she just leaned in, resting her head on Luz’s shoulder tightening her grip on her hand.</p><p>Luz was pretty sure her heart skipped a couple of beats. She really hadn’t been expecting that or when Amity turned her head so her lips were right next to her ear.</p><p>“Nobody’s ever stood up for me like that before,” she whispered softly, “not even Edric or Emira. Thank you.”</p><p>“I’ll always stand up for you, Amity,” Luz responded, tilting her head so it rested against the top of Amity’s own. “Thanks for… you know. Not letting your mother kill me.”</p><p>Luz had never been so happy to hear Amity giggle in her entire life. At least she hadn’t totally screwed up everything between them.</p><p>By the time they’d arrived in Leadville, it was well after midnight. They had the cabbie drop them in the little town square, and they paid him with almost all of their cash. They snuck around to a little mountain forest just outside the main town where they wouldn’t be spotted and Gus reached into his bag and popped out the tent in a can.</p><p>“I can take the first watch,” Amity offered, as all four of them got comfortable. Luz frowned, her stomach twisting uncomfortably.</p><p>“Are you sure?” Luz asked, frowning. “I don’t mind taking the first watch if you want to sleep.”</p><p>Amity smiled softly, shaking her head. “It’s okay, Luz. I’m not tired.”</p><p>Luz didn’t want to argue with her, so she just shrugged. “Alright, wake me up when you are and we can switch.”</p><p> Amity nodded, before stepping out of the tent with her backpack, zipping it shut behind her. Gus had already collapsed into his sleeping bag and was snoring softly, and Willow was just about to tuck herself in when she turned to Luz with a smile.</p><p>“Try not to worry about her. Amity’s tough. Just focus on getting sleep. We have one gods forsaken hike tomorrow.”</p><p>Luz nodded, still feeling uneasy, but she settled herself into the sleeping bag. It took her a little while to fall asleep, her mind still whirling as she thought about everything that had happened that day.</p><p>Eventually, she did manage to fall asleep, but the dreams that came made her wish she’d just stayed awake.</p><p>She was back in that mountain again, standing behind Hestia’s cage, hiding behind a crate of supplies. She was only able to catch a glimpse of the shimmering portal, and the flame on top of it before she turned to the Hestia. The goddess was looking a lot more worse for wear than when she’d seen her last. She was kneeling in the cage, struggling for breath. Her face was drenched in sweat, pale, and her eyes that she’d remembered being the color of dying coals were much darker. Like they were about to be extinguished.  </p><p>Hestia must have seen her coming, because she looked up, and for just a moment there was a relieved expression on her face. She almost smiled, but then there was a crashing noise coming from across the room, and Hestia quickly put a finger to her lips. Somewhere in the back of her mind, there was a voice that seemed to echo around in her skull.</p><p>“Hide.”</p><p>Luz ducked around another crate, pressing her body against it as she heard another crashing noise, followed by a grunting of pain.</p><p>“Again!” The voice said, deep and booming, so loud Luz winced.</p><p>“What is the point of this, Achilles?” Said another voice, and Luz's stomach dropped before she slowly felt anger rising up in her chest. It was Theseus.</p><p>“You know what we’re doing!” The booming voice snapped back, and there was another sound of a slashing blade running across the side of the mountain wall. “We have forty-eight hours before the portal absorbs her for good, and we begin our assault on Olympus. Do you think the gods take your pathetic skills seriously? Do you think you’ll be able to strike down your father with a swing that weak?”</p><p>“He is <em>not</em> my father!” Theseus growled, and Luz’s heart began racing in her chest. Forty-eight hours? That’s all the time they had left to stop them? “Besides, we won’t need to be strong when we begin our assault. We’ll have the numbers on our side when every fallen demigod in Asphodel marches through that portal with us. I’d like to see the sea god try and kill five hundred of his sons all at once.”</p><p>Achilles made a bellowing sound of anger, and Luz heard his sword clang against the floor.</p><p>“Don’t forget that we would be marching right now if you hadn’t screwed up in Kansas. Every time those demigods step closer to Mount Pelion, the more power she gets. If you’d actually done your job-”</p><p>“How is that my fault?” Theseus retorted furiously, “I’m not the one who had the love goddesses brat in their grasp and let them slip away-”</p><p>“Enough.”</p><p>The voice was so low, it sent chills up Luz’s spine. The temperature around her felt colder like she was suddenly running through a snowstorm. Belos.</p><p>Achilles and Theseus got quiet. Luz heard the clinking of footsteps on the cold rocky floor.</p><p>“It is pointless to squabble when our time is almost here,” Belos continued, and Luz held her breath as Belos walked right past her, thankfully not seeing her behind the crate. “In two days’ time, the portal will be open for good, and nothing, not even those little demigods will be able to stop us. So, quiet yourselves. Find Orpheus, and be prepared to stop them before they find us.”</p><p>There was a quiet shuffling of feet before Theseus spoke up.</p><p>“But… Emperor Belos… what about the centaurs-”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Belos interrupted, his tone going dangerous. Theseus quieted immediately. “Was I at all unclear in my orders?”</p><p>Theseus swallowed. “No, Emperor Belos.”</p><p>“Then why are you still standing here?”</p><p>There was a shuffling again, a lot quicker than before, and then Theseus and Achilles were exiting the mountain. Luz peered over the crate, watching them leave, and saw that the exit was not far from the inside cave. There were two pillars Theseus and Achilles passed on their way out both bronze, one in the shape of a sword, and the other in a shield.</p><p>Luz ducked back under the crate when Belos suddenly moved, taking slow steps towards the cage Hestia was trapped in. Luz peaked back out over the crate, cautious as she remembered the last time he’d caught her eavesdropping.</p><p>Belos was dressed exactly as he had been last time, down to the gold mask and the white cloak. As he walked up to the cage, he slammed his staff into the ground, and it echoed across the cave. Dark mist started swirling around the room, blocking whatever Luz could see of the cage. When the mist came up into her nose and mouth, Luz had to hold back a loud and panicked cough.</p><p>It smelled… well… the only way Luz could describe it was that it smelled like liquid death. Rotting meat and sulphury smog. As Luz fought to cover her nose and mouth with her hand, her tongue could taste the metallic tang of blood, like she’d bit the inside of her cheek.</p><p>It was horrible. Luz's body screamed for air, but her brain was screaming at her to run, get away from the smog, and never show her face here again.</p><p>Hestia got a full blast of the mist, and double over into a cough. Belos clicked his tongue, leaning down on his staff to look at her.</p><p>“Why must you let yourself suffer like this,” he cooed, his tone riddled with faux sympathy. “Your demigods aren’t going to save you. The portal will open, even if I have to pry the last of your hearth from you myself. It would be so much less painful for you to just give in.”</p><p>Hestia lifted her head, glaring at him. But she was gritting her teeth like the act itself was painful.</p><p>“Those half-bloods would be more receptive to your wishes if you didn’t treat them like toys.”</p><p>Belos slammed his staff into the floor, and Luz flinched. Hestia stared at him unblinkingly.</p><p>“You’d be wise not to test me, goddess,” Belos said, and despite the obvious anger in his narrowed neon eyes, his voice was steady and cool. “I have no quarrel making this as painful for you as you can.”</p><p>Hestia turned her head, locking eyes with Luz. “I know you don’t. And I don’t care. They’re coming for me whether you like it or not.”</p><p>Belos’ grip on his staff tightened, and he slammed it into the ground again. With a trembling fury, the mist moved like a wave, crashing over Luz and drowning her in the disgusting smell and taste until she snapped awake.</p><p>She sat up quickly, her whole body shaking and her forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat. Luz gripped the sleeping bag tightly, closing her eyes and willing the racing of her heart to calm down. She was safe, and in the tent away from danger.</p><p>But why could she still smell and taste nothing but death?</p><p>“Luz? Are you alright?”</p><p>She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, and after a moment of breathing, she finally opened her eyes. Amity was kneeling next to her, watching her with a worried expression. Luz swallowed, reaching up to touch the hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“Yeah… I… I think I’m alright. I think I’m going full vegetarian though. Do I smell like rotting chicken?”</p><p>Amity’s expression softened, and she removed her hand to sit cross-legged next to Luz. “You had another dream, didn’t you?”</p><p>Luz nodded and told Amity what had happened. When she finished, Amity’s gaze hardened.</p><p>“That was Death Mist,” Amity said when she’d finished. She reached across the room and handed Luz a bottle of nectar. “Have a sip of this, it will clear your nose and mouth.”</p><p>The second Luz sipped it, she sighed. All the terrible smells and tastes were immediately covered up by the sensations of her Mami’s soup.</p><p>“Thanks,” Luz said appreciatively, taking her first deep breath since she'd woken up. Amity shrugged her shoulders.</p><p>“Don’t mention it. Death Mist is… not something anybody should ever experience. Hecate campers use it primarily for self-defense. But it was outlawed at camp during capture the flag. It… it can be pretty traumatic.”</p><p>“Have you experienced it before?” Luz asked, and Amity’s face twisted, her eyes looking down at the floor of the tent.</p><p>“My mother used it on me once.”  </p><p> Luz wanted to smack herself. What a stupid question. “Amity, I’m sorry-”</p><p>“It’s fine,” she replied quickly, “I just… I know what it’s like. I can’t believe he’s been using it on Hestia. Too much of it can drive a person a little crazy.”</p><p>“She didn’t look good,” Luz said quietly, thinking of how much worse she looked than the last time Luz saw her. “And if we only have two days to get her out of that cage before the portal opens permanently…”</p><p>“We need to hurry,” Amity finished for her. “It will take every bit of Hestia’s power to open a gate like that. If they open it before we get there… she’s gone.”</p><p>“I wasted so much time after the prom,” Luz muttered, mentally cursing herself. “We could have been there by now.”</p><p>“And what, fight Belos high on that helium bomb?” Amity said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “How well do you actually think that would have gone? You had three cracked ribs.”</p><p>“That’s true,” Luz said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. “I just feel terrible for Hestia. I haven’t dreamed about her or Belos since the bus ride to Denver. Things are just getting worse.”</p><p>“That’s usually how quests go,” Amity said quietly, fiddling with her fingers. A thought popped into Luz’s head, and she turned to face Amity. She watched her cheeks darken as they were almost nose to nose, but Luz didn’t let that distract her.</p><p>“You had been having dreams too. Is that why you wanted to take the first watch last night?”</p><p>All the color that was in Amity’s face drained. Luz knew she had her answer.</p><p>“Amity, you need to sleep,” Luz started, but Amity cut her off.</p><p>‘I know, I know I do,” she said quickly, running her hands nervously across the tops of her thighs. “It’s just… my dreams aren’t like yours, Luz.”</p><p>Luz tilted her head curiously. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“My dreams don’t take me to the mountain,” Amity started, and she looked so pale and nervous that Luz leaned forward and took her hand comfortingly. “They take me to the portal.”</p><p>Luz’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything. Amity looked like she was going to panic, so she just sat there quietly, holding Amity’s hand while she kept going.</p><p>“I always see Belos standing in front of me. He’s… he’s laughing. I’m… I don’t know where I am. The ground is black stones that look like ashes, and the air is so hot it hurts to breathe in. He’s always taunting me. Telling me I was the weakest link… that I…” her voice cracked, shaking her head, unable to go on. Luz squeezed her hand comfortingly.</p><p>“That sounds terrible,” she said quietly. She wasn’t sure how she could help Amity feel better. She couldn’t even shake her own dreams, never mind the nightmare Amity had to deal with.</p><p>“I do sleep,” Amity continued, looking back up at Luz with a little smile. But Luz could see how it didn’t meet her eyes in the slightest bit. It was another act Amity was putting on to try and be brave. “If I sleep in hour intervals, I don’t dream. I’ve been doing that since the last time I dreamed after you were injured.”</p><p>Amity scoffed, rolling her eyes. “My dreams were always worse at my parents’ house.”  </p><p>Luz tried to ignore the guilt bubbling back up in her stomach. Despite Amity telling her not to worry about it, she couldn’t help but think that all she’d done for Amity in the time they’d been friends is making her life more difficult than it already had been.</p><p>“I… I know you probably don’t want to talk about it,” Luz started, biting her lip. “But I meant what I said back at your parent's house. If you ever needed to talk, I’m here.”</p><p>Amity was quiet for a second, scanning Luz’s face with her eyes. Eventually, she smiled. “I know you are. Thank you, Luz.” Her eyes widened, and a new smile, a genuine one this time, had set on her face.</p><p>“Oh, by the way, I forgot to give this back to you!”</p><p>Amity reached into her backpack, pulling out Luz’s copy of the fifth “The Good Witch Azura”. When she handed it to Luz, her eyes widened.</p><p>“No way! You finished it already?”</p><p>Amity laughed. “Yeah, I finished it last night. You were still asleep, and I had some time to catch up.”</p><p>“So… what did you think?” Luz asked, leaning forward and grabbing Amity’s wrist in excitement. The daughter of Aphrodite flushed, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.</p><p>“It was… fine.”</p><p>Luz noticed a little piece of paper sticking out of the book, and when she pulled it she could help but eye Amity teasingly.</p><p>“So fine you drew yourself with Malingale the Mysterious Soothslayer?” She said, pulling out the drawing. It was crude and done on lined paper, but it was so cute and well thought out Luz couldn’t help but chuckle even as Amity’s face darkened, and she ripped it out of Luz’s hand and shredded it between her fingers.</p><p>“Amity!” Luz gasped out between laughs. “Why would you do that?”</p><p>“I didn’t mean for that to be in there,” she muttered in embarrassment, and Luz shook her head.</p><p>“It was cute! I didn’t know you liked to draw.”</p><p>Amity’s face, if possible, turned even redder. “I… I mean I wouldn’t say that. It’s not like I was trying to make it look good or anything….”</p><p>“Well, I liked it!” Luz said, breaking out into a wide grin. “Maybe when we’re back at camp we can draw together or start that Azura book club. Spend time together like normal teenagers instead of running around killing monsters.”</p><p>A strange look passed over Amity’s face, but Luz was too excited about the idea of hanging out with Amity in a non-monster-fighting enviroment she didn’t even notice it.</p><p>“I’d like that,” Amity eventually said, tilting her head with a smile. “It’s a date.”</p><p>Luz went from smiling to feeling like her brain was short-circuiting in a matter of seconds. A date? Like a <em>date</em>, date? Did Amity want to go on a date with her?</p><p>Did Luz just unknowingly ask Amity out on a date?</p><p>She doesn’t know how long she sits there, saying something super-intelligent like “uhhh” before Willow and Gus walk into the tent, carrying a variety of snacks in their arms.</p><p>“We grabbed some food with the last of the money for the hike,” Gus said, dropping them rather dramatically on the floor. “Are you guys ready to get going? It’s almost eight.”</p><p>“Yep!” Amity replied, getting to her feet and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “I’ll go do a quick scout and find out what trail we're supposed to take. You three good to close camp while I’m gone?”</p><p>“Sure thing,” Willow nodded, packing her portion of snacks into her backpack.</p><p>When Amity left, Luz tried to busy herself. She knew time was of the essence, but she just couldn’t shake the previous conversation she’d had with Amity. She felt like she had whiplash, starting the whole thing smelling death and ending with Amity agreeing to go out with her.</p><p>“Hey! Earth to Luz?” Luz felt a push in her shoulder and turned her head to see Gus blinking at her in confusion. “You’re zoning out there. Is everything okay?”</p><p>Luz had no idea how to reply to that. Now that she was all packed, she really just needed some air.</p><p>Maybe a sense of familiarity before she went hiking to her possible death.</p><p>“I’m alright,” Luz said, reaching in her backpack to pull out her phone. “Do you guys think it’d be okay if I texted my Mami before the hike? I just… don’t know if I’ll have another chance.”</p><p>Gus and Willow seemed to catch the implications of what she was saying, and they glanced at each other for a moment before nodding.</p><p>“Yeah, sure,” Gus said with a shrug. “As long as you turn it off when you’re done, monsters shouldn’t be able to track us.”</p><p>Luz was already pushing her way out of the tent. “Thanks, guys. I’ll be right back.”</p><p>As she walked through the trees to a spot closer to town, she turned on her phone and was relieved to see she had a signal. She flipped to her messages, seeing the string of texts that were under the photo she’d sent her Mami before the prom.</p><p>
  <em>Look at you!!! You look so dashing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Where did you get a suit that nice? It’s probably worth more than everything in your room combined. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>And your date!!! You look so cute together. She looks like a lovely girl.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I have to hear all about these friends when you come home.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It’s so nice to hear that you’re having a wonderful time. You look so happy, mija.</em>
</p><p>Luz read the messages and then reread them. Then she read them again. She felt horrible lying to her Mami. The quest was by no means a “wonderful time”, but what was she going to say to her?</p><p>How would she just text her Mami, “oh, by the way, I’m on a quest to save Olympus and have almost been killed by monsters several times?” She would have a heart attack.</p><p>Sometimes, it was better to keep the people you loved in the dark.</p><p>But then, she read the messages again, and something inside her changed. Her Mami had just been pointing out what she saw after all. She knew Luz was a demigod, and she knew that her friends probably were too. Her Mami had never wanted to send Luz to camp because she knew it was dangerous. There was a decent chance her Mami knew more than she was letting on. Luz had always been a terrible liar, after all.</p><p>And some things she said weren’t an exaggeration from the truth. Luz loved that suit. She cared deeply about Willow and Gus, and Amity… well Amity was her date to the prom, and maybe after that too. She really was lovely.</p><p>Luz was going to gush to her Mami all about her new friends when she got home, and even if the quest wasn’t the easiest thing to deal with, Luz was in a way having more fun with her new friends than she would be alone in Manhattan.</p><p>
  <em>Thank you, Mami. Amity’s mom Aphrodite had the clothes made for us. Talk about godly treatment. I will tell you all about them. Especially Amity. She really is the best. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I have something I have to do for camp, so I don’t know when I’m going to be able to message you again. But I promise I’m being as safe as I can, and my friends are with me, so I’ll be just fine. I am happy, Mami. Te querio.</em>
</p><p>Luz sent the messages, and then turned off her phone, sticking it in the bottom of her backpack. Now that she had some time to think, she’d realized things in her life really had changed for the better.</p><p>Now it was time to begin those final steps, and stop Belos for good. And for the first time in her life, she wasn’t alone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. We Help Out Willow's Big Brother</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello everybody! </p><p>Hope you're all having a happy new year despite all of yesterday's craziness. I'm not American, but I am watching closely from Canada and wishing all my American readers the best in this insane time. &lt;3</p><p>Despite all the insanity, I'm back with another chapter. As you can tell by the chapter title, we have another new character, and I'm very excited for you guys to meet him! I've been planning this arc of the story for a while, and I think it came together nicely, and I hope you enjoy it! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz’s legs were burning.</p><p>She was pretty sure she’d never had to walk this far in her entire life. She’d been hiking a couple of times with her Tia Rosa when she was younger, but she definitely hadn’t enjoyed it. And it definitely hadn’t been more than an hour.</p><p>The walk down the highway hadn’t been that bad. They’d stayed off to the side of the road, and even been picked up by a nice mom in a minivan at one point. They’d told her that Gus’ dad had a fishing house along Turquoise Lake, and she’d dropped them off right at the edge of the highway. That had probably cut them about an hour of walking, but it was still slow and brutal.</p><p>Eventually, the highway had ended and a dirt road took its place. That’s when they started to move uphill. Luz could handle the straight line, but she was wearing vans and wasn’t at all interested in uphill climbing in flat shoes.</p><p>After about an hour and a half of moving along this uphill climb, Luz doubled over, clutching her stomach.</p><p>“Can we take a quick break? I’m dying here.”</p><p>Willow was more than happy to agree with Luz, dropping into a squat right next to her. “Sure, I’m beat.”</p><p>“I don’t know guys,” Amity said with a frown. Somehow, throughout the entire hike, she didn’t look even the slightest bit tired. She was sweating a little along her brow but otherwise looked unfazed. “We shouldn’t stop here. We’re exposed.”</p><p>“Don’t you guys think it’s a little strange we haven’t run into a single monster?” Gus added. He also looked a little worse for wear, he had shed his button-up and was now just in a t-shirt and jeans. But he was worrying his lower lip, looking around like they would be ambushed at any second. “I mean, we’re four demigods walking in a group, closing in on Mount Pelion. We couldn’t be bigger targets if we tried.”</p><p>“Don’t jinx us,” Willow deadpanned, taking a huge swig of water from one of the bottles they’d bought in Leadville. “I really don’t have the energy to fight a monster right now. We’ve been hiking for two and a half hours.”</p><p>“If we’re going to take a break, I think we should at least do it in the trees and out of sight,” Amity suggested, and Luz nodded, straightening back up.</p><p>“That’s fine with me, any break is a good break.”</p><p>They walked off the dirt road and down a little trail until they ended up a creek. Finding a good spot to sit along some rocks, Willow handed everybody a protein bar. Luz collapsed pretty ungracefully along a rock and closed her eyes.</p><p>“This is brutal,” she groaned, “and it’s only going to get more intense the higher up we get.”</p><p>“It depends actually,” Amity added with a shrug. “We might have to make our way around the mountain in a spiral. Lots of trails don’t go straight up.”</p><p>“How do you know all that?” Willow asks, and Amity tucks her arms around her knees.</p><p>“I live in the area, remember? My siblings and I go on hikes all the time during the school year.”</p><p>“So do you know the trail up Mt. Elbert?” Gus asks, and Amity shakes her head.</p><p>“No, we’re not allowed to go near Mount Pelion. I’ve done Mt. Evans a couple of times though.”</p><p>“Well that explains how you’re like, not even out of breath at all,” Luz says with a teasing smile. “You’ve got some superhuman hiking strength.”</p><p>Amity blushes, rubbing the back of her neck. “It just takes practice. Eventually, you stop noticing the burn in your calves.”</p><p>“Ugh, I wish,” Gus groans. “Mine feel like I’ve just run a marathon.</p><p>“Do you think we’re going to make it up the mountain before dark?” Willow asks, and Amity immediately shakes her head.</p><p>“We shouldn’t, even if we are in a hurry. The higher we get, the more brutal the winds are going to be. It’s just after noon, so we should hike a little longer before we take a break and look for camp.”</p><p>“Ok, then let’s get moving,” Luz said, and when she stood up, every muscle in her legs protested. “The sooner we get there the sooner we can stop.”</p><p>They started to make their way back to the dirt road, walking in pairs. Amity was leading the charge with Gus next to her, and Luz and Willow hung back, their feet dragging a little more than they would have cared to admit.</p><p>They were almost back at the dirt trail when Amity suddenly stopped cold, and Luz wasn’t really paying attention, so she just slammed into her back. Amity stumbled, but Luz reached forward and caught her arm, pulling her back.</p><p>“Sorry,” Luz mumbled, but Amity just held up her hand. It was so unlike Amity that Luz quieted immediately, as did Willow and Gus, who were now looking around the clearing with nervous eyes.</p><p>“Did you hear that?” Amity whispered, stiffening up.</p><p>Luz was quiet, listening to her surroundings as her friends did the same. At first, there was nothing. Just the rush of the creek and the swaying of the trees. But then…</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>RHEEEEEEEEE!</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Luz was so startled by the cry, she jumped right back into Willow, who held her shoulders and kept her steady. Gus and Amity called out their shields, holding a protective barrier in front of them, but it wasn’t needed. The cry had come from somewhere deeper in the trees, and following that right away was another cry, this one human.</p><p>A very angry human, cussing so badly her Mami would have washed their mouth out with soap.</p><p>Then, another cry from whatever had made that noise.</p><p>“Someone’s in trouble!” Willow exclaimed, and all four demigods summoned their weapons. Aletheia spun into a sword, and Luz caught it, and charged through the forest with her friends, her previous exhaustion forgotten.</p><p>“What kind of monster is that?” Luz cried out as they sprinted through the trees. There was no doubt it was something from their world. No bear or wolf made a noise like that.</p><p>“I have a couple of ideas!” Gus offered, doing his best to keep up and not trip on the rocky ground. “None of them good!”</p><p>“Sounds about right,” Luz groaned, before deciding to just focus on running.</p><p>Amity eventually skidded to a complete stop right as they broke through a clearing in the trees, and Luz stopped a lot more dramatically next to her, her dominant foot slipping and resulting in Aletheia being held up against her face protectively. When Luz looked past Amity’s shoulder at what was making the sound, she gawked.</p><p>In the middle of the clearing, there was a gorgeous white and blue farmhouse, with a huge porch. Luz could make out a clothesline hanging from the top of the porch, and a couple of wicker sitting chairs. There was a variety of hanging plants in the garden, and a huge wreath over the door. And the clearing? It was <em>huge</em>.</p><p>In fact, the clearing wasn’t a clearing at all. It was more like a twenty-acre farmers' field, just sitting off the dirt road in mountain country. Luscious green vegetables were growing in the fields, along with potatoes, corn, beans, an orchard of apples, and there was even a gods forsaken red barn smack in the center of it with a couple of animals milling about. The enough was enough to shock Luz since she was pretty sure the soil quality up here couldn’t be great. They looked like they could be in Missouri, not Colorado.</p><p>But the biggest shock wasn’t the farm. It was the farmer standing just away from the front porch. The farmer’s huge hands were clasping a boar by the tusks, stopping it from charging. He grunted with effort, gritting his teeth and digging his boots in the dirt, his muscles rippling under a green flannel button up.</p><p>Luz had never seen a boar before, but she was pretty sure they weren't supposed to be that big. It was easily the size of a sedan, with massive beady eyes, and it was doing everything in its power to push against the farmer. It’s feet stamped into the ground furiously as it pushed, and Luz saw the farmer tense as he was pushed back an inch in the dirt, and all the shock drained from her body.</p><p>“We have to help him!”</p><p>Luz charged forward, her friends at her heels. She approached the boar with a furious yell, and with a quick swing, she managed to take the boar by surprise and cut one of the tusks off sending it spinning into the dirt. The boar was now moving off-balance, diverting away from the farmer and charging in another direction. The farmer stumbled and dropped to one knee.</p><p>Gus and Amity charged at the boar with their weapons and shields, keeping it away from the crops. Willow had already leaned down to help up the farmer.</p><p>“Are you alright?”</p><p>He took her hand and stood, brushing his hands down his dirty jeans. “Thanks, kid,” he said to Willow, his voice gruff and heavy with a deep southern drawl. “I’ll be just fine. But we better go help your friends, cuz’ they ain't’ gonna be fine for long.”</p><p>Luz spun around, and her eyes widened in horror. The boar had turned on Gus now and had knocked his shield out of his hand with it’s one good tusk and sent it spinning into the dirt. He stabbed forward with his spear, managing to turn the boar away from him, but now it had focused on Amity, rearing back to charge.</p><p>“Amity!”</p><p>Luz ran forward, but there was no way she could outrun the boar. Amity didn’t seem to need her help though, because as it charged she sidestepped, managing to graze the side of it with her sword. It wasn’t nearly enough to send it running, but it did squeal and give Luz, Willow, and the farmer enough time to make it to the other two demigods.</p><p>They readied their weapons, the five of them standing together and watching the boar murderously. Seeming to realize it was outnumbered, the boar huffed in anger, before turning tail and fleeing, exiting through the trees and out of sight.</p><p>Luz exhaled, turning to her friends in terror.</p><p>“What <em>was</em> that thing?”</p><p>“The Crommyonian Sow,” Gus said, his voice very small as he retracted his spear and picked up his sword. “The mother to the Calydonian Boar. It terrorized the village Crommyon and was later killed by Theseus.”</p><p>“Theseus?” Luz asked, her voice quickly rising in anger. “That can’t be a coincidence.”</p><p>“It’s not, Luz,” Amity said, and Luz’s gaze flickered up to look at her. Her eyes were wide, but not because of the run-in with the boar. “Your dream!”</p><p>Luz paled, and Willow and Gus turned to look at her in confusion.</p><p>“What dream?” Willow asked, and Luz recalled the dream she’d had of the mountain, from the fight between Theseus and Achilles, Belos’ order, and the Death Mist. When she’d finished, they both had gone pale as well.</p><p>“His exact words were ‘stop them before they find us’?” Gus repeated, fidgeting uncomfortably. “That can’t be good.”</p><p>“The Sow started showin’ up today, but it’s come back roun’ here three times lookin’ for trouble,” the farmer said, and Luz jumped, forgetting he was standing there. When Luz and her friends turned to look at him, he stuck his hands in his jean pockets, giving them a white smile.</p><p>Luz wasn’t sure how old he was, maybe somewhere in his early thirties? He had curly dark hair and a scruffy beard that made him look like a lot of the dads that dropped their kids off at Luz’s school in the morning. He had a deep tan, and his eyes were a dark green, that twinkled in a way that Luz pegged right away as not human.</p><p>Though she should have figured that out already based on the way he held back a boar with his bare hands.                                                                                 </p><p>“I’m Demophon,” he said with a little smile. “Why don’t you kids come inside for some lemonade.”</p><p>Demophon’s house was really homely. It was an old farm style, with a lot of wooden furniture, and the décor was mainly light greens and blues. In the living room next to a couple of couches was a huge brick fireplace, sitting barren and unused. They sat down at the kitchen table that overlooked the farm fields, and Demophon returned from the kitchen with two pitchers of lemonade and plates of snacks: cookies, fresh veggies and fruit, and sandwiches.</p><p>They probably should have been more cautious, considering they didn’t really know anything about Demophon, but they were so hungry they couldn’t care less. Luz’s stomach grumbled in delight as she dug into a little tuna sandwich, washing it down so quickly with lemonade she barely tasted it.</p><p>“Thank you so much for the food, Mr. Demophon,” Amity said between bites, and he just shook his head.</p><p>“Demophon is fine, Amity. It’s my pleasure to help you kids on your quest.”</p><p>The four of them perked up, now looking at him with surprise. The farmer chuckled, but Luz noticed a slight lift in her shoulders. She did the same thing when she was worried about something.</p><p>“Yes, I know all about your quest. My mother sent me a message earlier this month lettin’ me know you migh’ be stopping by… and that you were on your way to free Lady Hestia.” For a moment, his nerves disappeared as he turned to Willow, his green eyes twinkling in pleasure. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, little sister.”</p><p>Willow dropped her sandwich on the plate, looking up at him in shock. Luz felt her mouth drop open and saw Amity and Gus tense next to her. Willow, eventually, was able to reply.</p><p>“You’re my brother?”</p><p>Demophon hummed, taking a seat next to them. He crossed his huge calloused hands together on the table and smiled. “Well, in a sense. Demeter is more of my adopted mother. But over the many centuries I’ve been alive, I have come to grow fond of her.”</p><p>“You’re Triptolemus’ brother,” Gus said, his voice lowering in realization. Demophon chuckled.</p><p>“Trip is my older brother yes. Though he rarely visits. He has many other duties to attend to.”</p><p>“But how… how are you alive?” Gus said in awe, and Luz realized that Willow and Amity were leaning in, desperate to hear his story. Luz really needed to brush up on her Greek mythology. Maybe she’d take it as her elective when she went back to school.</p><p>“What do you mean how is he alive?” Luz asked, blinking. “He’s a god, obviously.”</p><p>“No, Luz Noceda,” Demophon said with a shake of his head. He settled his warm green eyes on Luz with a smile. “I am no god. But I am immortal.”</p><p>Luz’s brow furrowed. “How is that different?”</p><p>“Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, but also fertility,” Demophon explained, nodding his head to Willow. “My birth parents were favored by my mother, just as Willow’s fathers were. In exchange for their adoration, Demeter sought to make me a god in their honor. She is the mother of the Olympians and worked with Hestia to have me stoked on their fires and made immortal. But halfway through the process, my birth mother found me on the fire and screamed, rippin’ me off the flames. The process was never finished, but it was too late to turn back. I was made immortal, but due to my… imperfection… I was never accepted into the Greek pantheon. So, mother let me have this farm here near Mount Pelion, and that’s where I’ve stayed.”</p><p>“Why weren’t you accepted?” Amity asked in shock when he finished. She was looking Demophon up and down. “You look godly to me. You held back that sow with your bare hands, and you certainly haven’t aged over the centuries.”</p><p>“There is more to being a god than just strength and immortality,” Demophon answered, his voice turning wistful as he talked. “You need drive: godly essence that comes from owning and having. You need to stand for something and have mortals who respect and favor you. Mortals don’t see me as a person who can grant them good fortune and prosperity, and I have no claim over any aspect of humanity.”</p><p>“Because the legends said you died in the fire when your mother found you,” Willow said, her mouth open wide with shock and realization. Demophon shrugged.</p><p>“Mortals rarely get the full story, and so they fill in the gaps with what they want to see. Complex situations confuse em’. I think you know what I mean, little sister.”</p><p>Willow flushed, and Luz realized that maybe Demophon had a point. Willow was teased for being “half a half-blood”, but she was one of the strongest demigods Luz knew. The more Luz looked at Demophon, the more sympathy she felt for him. It must be incredibly lonely, living for this long and never being accepted into the mortal world or the godly one.</p><p>“I’m sorry we brought the monster to your farm,” Luz said slowly, and Demophon looked over at her with the tiniest hints of a smile.</p><p>“Now, now none of that, Luz. I’m no fool, and unless you’re the man that sent that beast, I have no quarrel with you. But you kids ain’t safe heading up the mountain until that monster’s been taken care of.”</p><p>Demophon stood up and went into the kitchen, but came back relatively quickly. He had a cloth package in his hands, which he handed to Willow.</p><p>“These are some of our mother’s apples. She has me grow them here in case harvest on Olympus is poor. It never is, so I always have plenty. When you need a boost, take a bite. Hopefully, it helps you on your quest.”</p><p>Willow held the package so gently in her hands, it was like she was afraid they would disappear. She looked up at Demophon in awe.</p><p>“These apples… they haven’t been trusted to mortals in centuries. Why would you give us something like this?”</p><p>Demophon’s face suddenly went dark.</p><p>“I want Belos gone just as much as the Olympians do. Hestia is the reason I’m here, able to tend to my farm and my livestock. She’s always been kind to me… kind to all who cross her path and say hello.”</p><p>He looked over at the huge fireplace in his living room, which was completely dark. His eyes were fixated on it, like the sight of it alone physically pained him.</p><p>“My fire hasn’t lit since she was taken,” he said, his voice breaking slightly on those last few words. “Without her, all the love and light and happiness that we know will fade from existence. Somebody needs to stop him, and get her back. If I were not bound to this farm, I would go up the mountain myself. I will do anything I can to help you.”</p><p>Demophon sat back down at the table and went back to cradling his calloused hands in his lap. Luz was suddenly struck with a pang of homesickness. Demophon did the same thing with his hands her Mami did when she was worrying herself sick about something. He was just as scared about the success of the quest as they were.</p><p>“You seem to admire Hestia a lot,” Luz said quietly, so quietly she wasn’t sure anybody would hear her. But Demophon looked up, and so did her friends, turning to look at Luz. She glanced at Amity, for only half a second, and realized that she was watching Luz with a careful expression.</p><p>Had she overstepped?</p><p>Demophon met Luz’s gaze, and that’s when Luz saw it. It was the same look Amity gave her when she was grappling with a decision. To tell or not to tell.</p><p>“I’ve had so few people I could truly call a friend while I’ve worked this farm,” he eventually said, glancing over at the fire. “I could always rely on Hestia to show whenever I lit that fire and passed on my offerings. There are so few certainties in a life as long as mine. If you were in my place, would you be happy with that changing in the blink of an eye?”</p><p>“No,” Luz said immediately. She couldn’t imagine just sitting at her Mami’s apartment while her friends were in danger. She’d do anything to protect Willow and Gus. She’d do anything to protect Amity.</p><p>She’d move the entire mountain by herself if she had to.</p><p>She opened her mouth to reply, to assure Demophon that they would do everything they could to save her, but she didn’t get the opportunity to. Because Amity spoke next, swallowing hard before shaking her head.</p><p>“I’ll get her back,” Amity said, leaning in to look Demophon in the eye.</p><p> It was so surprising Luz couldn’t help but turn and look at Amity out of the corner of her eye. Amity’s expression was startling. Her face looked exactly like how Luz was feeling.</p><p>“I’ll break her out of the cage and make Belos pay no matter what happens. I swear it on the River Styx.”</p><p>Outside, thunder rumbled. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Willow and Gus were looking at Amity with a mixture of shock and horror on their faces. Luz didn’t really know what was happening, but judging by the equally as awed look Demophon was giving her, whatever she’d done was pretty serious.</p><p>“You don’t know what you’re promising me, kid,” Demophon tried, but Amity shook her head, leaning in again with such a ferocity Luz couldn’t look away no matter how hard she tried.</p><p>“I do know,” she insisted, reaching forward and gently resting her hand over his. “I know that nobody deserves to have someone taken from them. Being around the people you love makes life worth living.”</p><p>Willow cracked a small smile, nodding her head and leaning forward to rest her hand on top of Amity’s.</p><p>“She’s right. I’ll help too.”</p><p>“Me too!” Gus added, reaching forward to put his own hand on top of Willows.</p><p>Luz broke into a grin, nodding and adding her own hand to the now growing pile. “Obviously I’m in too. We’ll free Hestia, even if Theseus throws a hundred more stupid pig-boars at us.”</p><p>“Let’s hope he doesn’t,” Amity deadpanned, and Luz laughed, hard enough that everyone at the table cracked into smiles. Even Demophon, who was looking so grateful Luz thought he might start crying.</p><p>“Thank you, kids,” he said, wiping at his face. “You have no idea what this means to me.”</p><p>“We do know. That’s why we want to help,” Luz insisted, her whole body vibrating with adrenaline at what they were about to do. “Now let’s go make some pork chops.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Willow Talks Us Into Trying Strategy Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello guys!</p><p>I think you'll like this one ;)</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tracking the sow was the easy part. Figuring out how to kill it without getting speared by the one non-severed tusk? Luz was slowly realizing that part was going to be a lot harder.</p><p>They’d left Demophon’s farmhouse, traveling down the path the Crommyonian Sow had fled through. It left huge tracks everywhere it went, so they were able to catch up to it multiple times. But the sow was clearly smarter than it looked. Every time it realized it was outnumbered, it would flee, leaving Luz and her friends chasing after it. After multiple attempts, they’d eventually been able to corner it by a little creek where it stopped for water.</p><p>Unfortunately, Luz had not been quick enough when she charged, her legs still sore and exhausted from the hike, and when the sow charged it slammed into her, sending her sailing into the creek.</p><p>It probably would have speared her right through with its tusk if Willow and Amity hadn’t gotten it to turn at the last second. Luz was alive, but now she was soaking wet and horribly uncomfortable.</p><p>Once the sow realized it was once again outnumbered, it fled, and Luz had been helped out of the water by Gus. She stood on the bank shivering, turning <em>Aletheia</em> back into a ring and looking at her friends in despair.</p><p>“How are we supposed to kill this thing if it keeps running?”</p><p>“We need a concrete plan,” Gus said, but he was looking just as winded as Luz felt. “The Crommyonian Sow was notorious for running until the hunters were too weak to keep chasing it. It would retaliate the second they stopped to rest.”</p><p>“That’s it! That’s our strategy right there,” Willow said, turning to look at Gus. Her face split into an eager smile. She sheathed her <em>kopis</em>, glancing to the tree behind them. She hummed, scanning it for a moment before nodding. “Luz, Amity, go sit in that tree.”  </p><p>Luz’s legs were already protesting. “You want me to do <em>what</em>?”</p><p>“Relax, I’ll get you up there,” Willow chuckled, walking over to one of the bushes underneath it. She closed her eyes, curling her hand and pulling the thick roots of the bush downward, collecting them in a pile before twisting her hands and intertwining them together. When she finished and opened her eyes, Luz realized she’d somehow made a flat surface out of literal branches.</p><p>Willow really was something else.</p><p>“Get on, quickly!” Willow said, and Luz’s eyebrows lifted. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Willow, she trusted her with her life, but that definitely didn’t look like it would be able to hold both her and Amity’s weight.</p><p>“I can’t hold it for long, hurry!” Willow insisted, and Luz was snapped back to reality when Amity grabbed her hand and dragged her to the bushes.</p><p>“Come on, Luz!”</p><p>She was dragged over to the bush, and Amity was the first to step on it. It seemed to wrap around her ankles, stopping her from sinking. When Luz stepped on it next, it morphed around her weight, and she was surprised by how solid it felt.</p><p>“Ok, up you go!”</p><p>Willow raised her hands, and the bush rose up, allowing Luz and Amity to reach out and climb onto the thick double branch extending from the stump of the huge tree. The two of them got comfortable as Willow lowered the bush and returned it back to how it looked before. Luz and Amity’s feet were dangling off the side, the second extending branch resting almost like a backrest behind Luz and Amity’s shoulder blades.</p><p>Luz had climbed trees before, so she wasn’t exactly frightened of heights, and the branch was only about eight feet off the ground. But she noticed that Amity was clenching the branch of the tree tightly between her hands.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Luz asked gently, reaching over with one hand to rest it comfortingly on her shoulder. Amity grit her teeth and nodded.</p><p>“Yeah, just give me a second to adjust…” she mumbled, and Luz nodded, turning back to Willow and Gus on the ground. Gus had popped his tent in a can, but it was clearly only for show. Willow was sitting just outside the entrance to the tent, her knees propped against her chest.</p><p>“So, what exactly is the plan here?” Luz called, and Willow chuckled, looking up at Luz affectionately.</p><p>“Capture the Flag strategy 4,” she said, and Luz’s eyes widened.</p><p>“Oh!”</p><p>Willow lifted a finger to her lips, and Luz got the message. Keep quiet.</p><p>Strategy 4 was something that the three of them had been working on for the game the week after they left for their quest. Gus, being smaller than Luz and Willow, was going to stand in the open and wait to be attacked by another camper. Then, Luz and Willow would leap out from their hiding place and disarm the camper, taking them as their prisoner. Gus reckoned they could have taken out a sixth of the enemy campers by the time the game was done.</p><p>Now, the Crommyonian Sow would be their enemy camper.</p><p>Willow and Gus got comfortable, leaving Luz and Amity sitting up in the tree waiting. Luz distracted herself with the sounds of the birds in the trees before sunset and the colors of the summer forest around them. At some point when Luz looked down at her other friends, she thought Gus might actually be sleeping, leaning against Willow’s shoulder as the pair leaned against one of the rocks in the clearing.</p><p>It was peaceful, and Luz had no idea what to do with herself. She fidgeted nervously, not really realizing she was doing it until Amity caught her gaze and frowned.</p><p>“Luz?” She said quietly, and it was Luz’s turn now to jump. “Are <em>you</em> okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, of course,” Luz said quickly, doing her best to keep her voice down. “I’m just… thinking I guess. It’s almost dark, which means we have less than a day to find Hestia and save her.”</p><p>“We have enough time,” Amity insisted, reaching over and touching her hand. Luz felt her body relax at the touch. “We’re less than three hours out of the mountain now. Once we kill the sow, we can get some rest and make it before the afternoon tomorrow. We have too.”</p><p>“You especially,” Luz added, and the uncomfortable swirling in her belly was starting to return. “I feel like I missed something back at Demophon’s. You… made a promise and something weird happened.”</p><p>“I swore on the River Styx,” Amity explained, her face twisting with an expression Luz couldn’t read. “It’s… one of the biggest promises you can make in our world. It’s an oath that can’t be broken, by either mortals or gods.”</p><p>Luz had a very bad feeling about what Amity was implying, and she swallowed. “So… when you promised to free Hestia…”</p><p>“I can’t back out,” Amity said, confirming Luz’s worries. She bit her lower lip, and Luz felt another terrible sinking feeling in her stomach. “I have an obligation now.”</p><p>“Why would you do that?” Luz asked, shaking her head. It seemed like a big risk for Amity to make on the fly, especially since they’d only just met Demophon.</p><p>Amity fidgeted like she wasn’t sure how to answer. She eventually just sighed, tearing her gaze away from Luz and towards the slowly sinking sun setting behind the trees.</p><p>“It’s not like I’m not already trapped. I’m stuck in this prophecy with you whether I like it or not.” She suddenly turned her head, her eyes wide. “Not that I don’t like that we’re in a prophecy together, it’s just that in general they kind of suck, and-”</p><p>“I get it,” Luz quickly interrupted, though it was impossible not to keep the blush off her face when Amity cleared her throat and started again.</p><p>“Anyway… what I meant is that deep down I already know that this is what I have to do. So what difference does it make to swear it? It was worth it, just to see the look on Demophon’s face when I did.”</p><p>Luz remembered it. The glittering in his eyes, the way his shoulders rose. The way it had inspired Willow and Gus in a way Luz’s speeches sometimes did. She remembered her dreams, and all the times Hestia would stand firm, and not give into Belos. She remembered the times she’d looked in Luz’s eyes, and reminded her why she was on this quest to begin with. Why Hestia still had the strength to keep fighting against Belos.</p><p>
  <em>Hope remains, and so I remain.</em>
</p><p>Amity gave Demophon hope. And that to her was worth the consequences of an eternal oath. It was the most selfless thing Luz had ever seen.</p><p>The fluttering in Luz’s stomach got worse, but she knew this time it wasn’t from nervousness. It was something else entirely, and it shot right up in Luz’s stomach to her chest, ringing in her ears.</p><p>Luz had never wanted to get closer to anybody in her entire life. Something on Luz’s face must have changed because suddenly Amity was blushing so brightly it went all the way to her ears.</p><p>“Why are you looking at me like that?” Amity breathed out, and Luz’s gaze flickered up from her lips to her eyes. It was then that she actually realized that she’d been looking at Amity’s <em>lips</em>. How long had she been staring at her lips?</p><p>Luz’s mouth felt dry, and despite the blush creeping up her face, she kept her eyes locked with Amity’s.</p><p>“I just think you’re amazing.”</p><p>Amity clearly hadn’t been expecting that. Her blush was now taking on a purple color, and her mouth opened and closed like she was trying to figure out what to say.</p><p>Luz didn’t want her to say anything at all.</p><p>She leaned in, closing the gap between them, and kissed Amity.</p><p>The first thing Luz noticed was how soft Amity’s lips were. They fit right between her own as her eyes fluttered shut, and for half a second it was all Luz could focus on. But then Amity made a surprised little sound in the back of her throat, and for a moment Luz panicked, ready to pull away.</p><p>She didn’t need to. Amity’s surprise quickly faded, and Luz felt her left-hand slide up to Luz’s face, her thumb gently pressing against the line of her jaw as she returned the kiss. Luz’s heart hammered in her chest and she reached forward to gently steady Amity from her position in the tree. Her arm slipped around her waist, and then there was nothing but Amity.</p><p>Just Amity’s hands on her face, and her lips on Luz’s. The smell of lavender and mint despite the hours of hiking, and the fabric of her shirt under her hand. She wanted to get closer, but leaning any closer would have probably resulted in her falling out of the tree.</p><p>The hand on Luz’s face slid down to the back of her neck as their position shifted, and Luz’s brain short-circuited, unable to do anything but just kiss her back.</p><p>Eventually, the hammering in her chest got so loud and so overwhelming she had to pull away. Her eyes opened, and she saw Amity looking back at her, completely red in the face. Her gold eyes held the same amount of surprise Luz was feeling, but they also gleamed, as dark as those butterscotch candies her Mami kept in a bowl on the living room coffee table. She looked beautiful.</p><p>Luz felt herself begin to smile, unable to control herself. She had just kissed Amity Blight.</p><p>And when she saw Amity’s lips pull into a smile of her own, she wanted to do it again.</p><p>Luz might have done it. She might have leaned back in again and kissed her, trying her best to repeat what was probably the best moment of her entire life.</p><p>But obviously, she was still a half-blood. She was never going to get that lucky.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>“RHEEEEEEEE!!!!”</em> </strong>
</p><p>The noise itself startled Luz so badly she would have fallen out of the tree if Amity hadn’t reacted fast and wrapped her arm around Luz’s stomach. The Crommyonian Sow came sprinting through the trees and barreling towards Willow and Gus, mouth open, eyes glinting murderously. Willow leaped into action and dove out of the way with Gus, and the sow charged right through them, barely missing.</p><p>They scrambled to their feet, weapons drawn. The sow huffed furiously, its eyes bearing down at them and shifting back and forth as they got closer and closer. Amity touched her bracelet and drew <em>Dikē.</em></p><p>“It’s going to run,” Amity whispered, her eyes widening in horror.</p><p>Gus, thank the gods, seemed to put two and two together. With an angry yell, he charged on the sows left, sending it into a startled backpedal towards the tree Luz and Amity were waiting on. Luz and Amity tensed, waiting for just the right moment.</p><p>“On three,” Amity whispered, slowly pulling her sword from her belt. Luz nodded and reached over, her hand hovering over <em>Aletheia</em>.</p><p>“One,” she said as the monster took two steps back.</p><p>“Two,” the sow turned tail, realizing it had been tricked.</p><p>“Three!”</p><p>Luz and Amity leaped off the branch, and Luz’s knife appeared in her hands. With a ferocious scream, Luz spun the knife downwards, landing on the sows back and digging the blade right into its neck. Next to her, Amity hit the ground gracefully, stabbing her sword right into its side.</p><p>The Crommyonian Sow screamed in pain and dissolved into dust, and Luz landed with a thump on a pile of it, still clutching her knife in her hands.</p><p>“Alright!” Gus whooped, throwing his spear up into the air in delight. Willow sighed in relief, sheathing her own sword and shaking her head fondly at Gus’ excitement.</p><p>Luz exhaled, brushing dirt off her shorts while turning her knife back into a ring. She heard footsteps from behind her and turned her head to see Amity walking up. She had sheathed her <em>xiphos</em> and extended the hand not wrapped around her shield. There was a deep blush on her face, and Luz was suddenly reminded of what had happened right before the sow burst through the clearing.</p><p>She was feeling a lot less brave now.</p><p>When she took her hand and let Amity pull her to her feet, she hoped the red on her face wasn’t too obvious.</p><p>“Thanks,” she said awkwardly, and Amity cleared her throat.</p><p>“Uh, no problem.”</p><p>“Guys!”</p><p>Luz’s attention flickered back to Gus, and she couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved at the interruption. That kiss was still lingering in the back of her brain, and she knew that if she thought too hard on it right now she wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else.</p><p>She had kissed <em>Amity</em>.</p><p>Gus had retracted his shield back into a watch, and he reached under his button up to clip the spear to his belt. “That was awesome! We have got to use that during capture the flag.”</p><p>“That was really risky, Luz,” Willow chimed in, narrowing her eyes disapprovingly at her. “You could have hurt yourself jumping on its back.”</p><p>“It just felt like the best way to do it,” Luz said with a shrug. While the landing hadn’t exactly been pleasant, her legs didn’t hurt now any more than they had during the hike.  </p><p>“You did the same thing you did with the Mino- er, Pasiphae’s son,” Gus added, holding out his hand for Luz to high five. She slapped her hand to his and he beamed. “You’ve got a signature move!”</p><p>“A really dangerous one,” Amity muttered, and Luz saw that she was looking just as disapproving as Willow had.</p><p>“A signature move is a signature move,” Luz shrugged, but she was unable to keep the grin off her face. “It’s not fun if it’s not dangerous.”</p><p>Amity sighed, but even though she was shaking her head Luz could see that Amity’s eyes had softened affectionately. The swirling in her stomach returned. “You’re impossible.”</p><p>“We should probably rest for the night,” Willow said, and when Luz turned to look at her she had this confused furrow in her brow. Her gaze flickered back and forth between Luz and Amity, and she saw Amity clear her throat and look away. “It’s almost dark, and we won’t be able to see a thing anyway. This will probably be our last chance to get any kind of rest before tomorrow.”</p><p>“Alright!” Luz said, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. She turned and started walking towards the tent, already on board. “I can’t wait to actually get some rest, my legs feel like they’re going to fall off.”</p><p>But of course, whenever a demigod thinks they can expect what happens next, something changes. Luz didn’t even make it halfway to the tent before the first arrow flew, scraping past Luz’s ear and landing with a thunk in the tree behind the tent.</p><p>Luz spun quickly, drawing the sword version of <em>Aletheia</em>, doing her best to cover herself, but then another arrow went flying past her thigh and managed to graze it. Her leg exploded in pain, and she gritted her teeth to try and keep her vision from spotting out. Gods that arrow <em>hurt</em>.</p><p>She stumbled back to her friends, who were all standing there, weapons drawn and ready, eyeing the trees from where the arrow had come. But no more arrows flew, and instead, the forest was eerily quiet.</p><p>Luz fought to control her breath, doing her best not to look down at her thigh. A gasp of pain came out of her throat as she fought to control herself, but with every second that passed, the wound just seemed to get more painful. There was now numbness crawling up her leg and into her hip, and she was unable to stop the next cry of pain, dropping to her side on the ground and clutching at it.</p><p>“Luz!” Amity exclaimed, kneeling down next to her. Her eyes widened as she took in Luz’s leg, and she turned to look out at the forest.</p><p>“Who’s there? Show yourself!”</p><p>It was quiet for another second before a group of figures walked out of the trees. Luz’s vision was going blurry, but she was pretty sure there were twelve of them, and they were all clutching bows. The closer Luz looked, the quicker she realized there was no way they were human. Well, at least not from the waist down.</p><p>Considering they had the lower half of a horse, Luz was almost positive that they’d been tracked down by the centaurs of Mount Pelion.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. My Health Bar Gets Way Below My Comfort Zone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again!</p>
<p>Your comments and thoughts from the last few chapters have been making me laugh all week, so I figured it would be a good time to come back with another update as a token of my thanks.</p>
<p>Thank you to all my old readers who always make me smile, and my new ones who have just binged the fic and are waiting for more. &lt;3</p>
<p>Without further ado... here we go :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The burning in Luz’s leg was getting worse. It had now spread up into her other leg, running down into both her thighs and leaving her unable to do anything but hold her knees and clench her eyes shut.</p>
<p>“What did you do to her?” Luz recognized Amity’s voice, but it sounded like she was listening to it from underwater. The blood was rushing up to her hears, and everything was ringing. “Why does her leg look like that!”</p>
<p>It took Luz a moment to realize Amity was talking about her. She was focusing too hard on trying not to scream.</p>
<p>“Your friend has been shot by a Gorgon’s blood arrow,” said one of the centaurs.</p>
<p>Luz’s eyes snapped open, looking up towards who had spoken. It was the one standing in the middle, and he was clearly the leader of the group. He had long black hair braided around his head and muscles rippling under a navy tunic. “The poison is likely working its way through her system as we speak.”</p>
<p>“You poisoned her?” Amity asked, her voice hitching a couple of octaves higher. With a roar, she started running at him, her <em>xiphos </em>clenched tightly in her hands as she charged.</p>
<p>Thank the god's Willow was paying attention, and she reached forward and wrapped her arms tight around Amity’s waist, holding her still.</p>
<p>“Amity, stop!” She hissed, while the daughter of Aphrodite made angry noises in her arms, struggling to free herself.</p>
<p>“Your friend is right,” said another centaur. He was watching Amity with a glimmer of amusement in his amber eyes, as he swung his bow over his back. His hair was short and cropped, and he wore a tunic as well, but his was a deep green instead of navy. “Gorgon’s blood is a slow death, but it gets more agonizing the longer it seeps into her system. Only we have the cure. If you attack us, she dies.”</p>
<p>Amity made a strangled sound in the back of her throat. Luz’s heart hammered in her chest, the pain now spreading down to both her calves. She groaned in agony, spinning into a fetal position.</p>
<p>“If she dies I will kill every one of you,” Amity retorted, and Willow pulled Amity back a few more steps and covering her mouth with her hand. Amity grunted in protest, and Willow shook her head disbelievingly,</p>
<p>“Amity, get a grip!”</p>
<p>Luz wanted to help, to call Amity back and assure her she was going to be fine, but she was very aware of how much of a lie that would have been. Luz had never been in so much pain in her entire life. She wanted to saw off the entire lower half of her body, knowing that would have been less painful than the poison. She felt like she was on fire, burning from the inside out.</p>
<p>“We won’t attack you,” Gus said quickly, stepping forward with his hands in the air. He’d retracted his spear and shield, and stepped slowly in front of Willow and Amity. “My name is Augustus, the son of Athena. We’re here on behalf of the gods.”</p>
<p>“Likely story,” growled the first centaur. His eyes were narrowed at Gus, eyeing him up and down. “That is what he said too, and now the Mountain is being poisoned before our very eyes. Do you think us foolish? We know better than to fall for a second trick.”</p>
<p>For a dangerous moment, Gus faltered. “What do you mean, poisoned?”</p>
<p>“Don’t play coy!” The centaur spat, “ you already know that every day the Mountain grows weaker, and more rise from beyond. The son of Hecate cannot draw more from it, or it will collapse and destroy us. We refuse to let more enemies of Olympus into our land and talk their way to the hearth.”</p>
<p>“It is no trick,” Gus insisted, “we’ve been given a prophecy to come here and stop Belos. I can prove it.”</p>
<p>He turned his back and walked towards Amity, taking her shield from her arm. He then turned and crouched next to Luz, grabbing <em>Aletheia</em> and patting her on the shoulder.</p>
<p>“Hang in there,” he whispered. Luz opened her mouth in an attempt to assure him she was indeed trying really hard not to die, but nothing came out besides a low groan.</p>
<p>Her arm was starting to go numb. She was pretty sure the only time that happened was when you were about to have a heart attack. Maybe she would die of one and the pain would finally stop.</p>
<p>Gus walked forward with the weapons and the centaurs tensed, readying their bows. Except the second, who just watched Gus curiously, remaining unmoving.</p>
<p>“I present the weapon and shield of Peleus, the first to train on your mountain,” he said, holding them up for all the centaurs to see. “Granted to us by the goddess Aphrodite, to aid her daughter on the quest to save Olympus.”</p>
<p>There was a silence that filled the clearing, leaving Luz nothing to focus on besides the agony in her body. She prayed to the gods somebody would just say something.</p>
<p>The centaurs shuffled uneasily, their hooves clopping on the rocks and they murmured to one another. The centaur next to the leader leaned in and whispered something Luz couldn’t catch. The tail of the leader flicked in annoyance like he wanted nothing more than to just kill all four of them.</p>
<p>“And this… girl here is the daughter of Aphrodite?” The leader said, gesturing to Luz who was on the floor. Gus shook his head and gestured to Amity and then Willow. Willow managed a small smile, but Amity was still glaring daggers at the centaurs.</p>
<p>“This is Amity, the daughter of Aphrodite and Willow, daughter of Demeter.” He turned to Luz with a sympathetic grimace. “That is Luz, daughter of Hermes.”</p>
<p>There was another round of mumbling, and Luz swallowed hard, zoning in and out as the centaurs conversed with one another quietly. The leader of the centaurs was now looking very nervous.</p>
<p>The numbness had faded in her arm and now was replaced with that terrible burning sensation. If Gus hadn’t taken her sword she would have cut it off just to stop it.</p>
<p>She let out an uncontrollable cry of pain, and the leader of the centaurs flinched.</p>
<p>“Very well,” he said, all his previous hostility fading. “Tip her head back.”</p>
<p>Gus dropped to his knees next to Luz and put her head in his lap, turning Luz on her back. The act of moving itself was agonizing, and the second Gus opened her mouth it was like a dam opened, and she was crying out uncontrollably. Gus recoiled his hand, eyes widening fearfully.</p>
<p>“Luz! It’s me, I’m trying to help you!”</p>
<p>Tears pricked at her eyes. “It hurts…” she groaned, but managed to lift a shaky hand and stuff her fist in her mouth, biting down hard to muffle her shouting.</p>
<p>There was the muffled sound of hooves against the dirt, and the quiet voice of the second centaur.</p>
<p>“Get her to drink this.”</p>
<p>There was the sound of a cork bottle opening, and then Gus’s hand returned on Luz’s face as he tipped her head back, wedging it between Luz’s fist as he poured the contents into her mouth. His hand covered Luz’s, forcing her mouth closed.</p>
<p>“Swallow it,” he said, and despite the tight grip on her face, the words were soft and comforting.</p>
<p>Luz forced the drink down her throat despite the immediate urge to retch. It tasted like battery acid, but if this would get the pain to stop she would drink it a hundred times over.</p>
<p>For a terrifying moment, the pain got worse. Her heart started hammering even faster than it already was, and the burning in her body reached her stomach. It swirled like she drank a hundred gallons of milk, and Luz gasped, leaning over and away from Gus terrified she might puke.</p>
<p>But then the pain from her body began to subside. First, there was the numbness in her arms and legs, and Luz scrambled off Gus and to her knees, breathing heavily. Then, her head slowly started to clear, and she became more aware of her surroundings. The dozen centaurs, watching her anxiously. Willow, biting her lip as she held Amity tightly in her arms. Then there was the daughter of Aphrodite herself, who now looked less angry and more like she was about to burst into tears.</p>
<p>Finally, the numbness left her body completely, and Luz mentally counted to ten. When she finished, the pain had disappeared and she took a big deep breath and shakily got to her feet.</p>
<p>She ran her hands down her shorts, exhausted, but no longer in any pain.</p>
<p>“I… I’m alright,” Luz said, and Willow exhaled in relief, dropping Amity from her arms.</p>
<p>She sprinted over to Luz, catching her in a bone-crushing hug. Luz winced, wrapping her arms around her back.</p>
<p>“This is a little tight,” she mumbled and the girl quickly pulled away, her face beet red.</p>
<p>“Uh, yeah. Sorry,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. She looked around and realized that both Willow and Gus were staring at her, so she crossed her arms, feigning disinterest. “You scared me. Stop almost dying.”</p>
<p>“I’ll try,” Luz said with a shrug, but she was unable to keep the smile off her face. “No promises.”</p>
<p>The leader of the centaurs swished his tail, and Luz turned to look at him properly. He, along with the other centaurs in the group, genuinely looked apologetic. He was holding an empty vial in his hand, clearly, the one that once held whatever cured Luz.</p>
<p>“Had we known who you were, we would not have hit you with that arrow,” he said. “We knew that there were heroes coming to stop Belos, but ever since the Mountain has started dying, we have grown anxious and done our best to keep all intruders out.”</p>
<p>“It’s alright,” Luz said, and while she wasn’t very happy she had been shot by a poisoned arrow, she couldn’t really blame them. If Belos was their enemy, she understood why they were cautious. “But maybe next time we can talk before we shoot.”</p>
<p>The second centaur next to the leader snorted. “The demigod makes a good point.”  </p>
<p>“They are known to sometimes do that,” the first replied dryly, but then his face had twisted up into something unpleasant like he just took a nose full of Death Mist. “On occasion, anyway.”</p>
<p>The other centaurs had retracted their bows and slung them over their shoulder, stepping closer to examine Luz and her friends. Amity shuffled uneasily, eyeing them like she was waiting for one to attack, but Luz just stood still, accepting her sword back from Gus and putting the ring back on her finger.</p>
<p>“I am Nessos, the leader of the centaurs,” the first one said, before gesturing to the second one with the cropped hair. “This is my second in command, Pholos. I know it does not seem it, but we are very grateful for your arrival here to Mount Pelion.”</p>
<p>“You said the mountain was going to collapse,” Gus said slowly, stepping next to Luz. “How can an entire mountain just… fall down?”</p>
<p>Nessos looked over to Pholos gravely, and the two just seemed to look at each other before the second turned to look at them.</p>
<p>“The mountain's power comes from the strength of the demigods,” he said slowly, “a gateway between the earth and the sky, a reminder that they are between the mortal world and Olympus. As demigods rise in power, they absorb the strength of the mountain. If the mountain collapses, they will be strong enough to kill a god.”</p>
<p>“Belos is harnessing the power of Hestia for his own uses to control the flow of power within the mountain,” Nessos explained, “every time he uses her power for his personal gains, he gets stronger, faster, and harder to kill. If he uses Hestia’s power to collapse the mountain, he will take her strength as his.”</p>
<p>“He’ll become a god,” Luz concluded, her eyes widening in horror.</p>
<p>“And you can’t just kill a god,” Gus added, his voice unusually small.</p>
<p>“How long do we have?” Willow asked the centaurs, and Nessos and Pholos looked at each other again and shrugged.</p>
<p>“Not long,” Pholos said, frowning. Nessos nodded, his face dark and serious.</p>
<p>“We can already feel our connection to the mountain severing. It won’t be much longer.”</p>
<p>Luz and her friends all looked to one another. Luz knew that they were battered, bruised, and tired. She also knew that they were going to be hopelessly outmatched when they arrived at Belos’ cave. They had no plan, no advantage, and no real way to stop him.</p>
<p>But they also didn’t have much of a choice. And all four of them came to the same conclusion at the same time.</p>
<p>“He needs to be stopped now,” Amity said quietly, and Luz, Willow, and Gus all nodded.</p>
<p>“If we don’t hurry, we’ll run out of time. And then there’s nothing we can do to stop him,” Willow said in agreeance.</p>
<p>Luz turned to the centaurs, her palms already starting to shake in anticipation. This was it. No running, no hiding, no going back.</p>
<p>It was time to be the hero. Azura style.</p>
<p>“We need to find the fastest route up Mount Pelion,” Luz said, recalling her earlier dream. “The entrance to Hestia’s prison has two bronze statues outside in the shape of a sword and a shield. Do you know where that is?”</p>
<p>Pholos grinned like he’d been waiting for them to ask that. “Do we know where it is? Does Hera like her eggs over easy?”</p>
<p>Luz blinked, now confused. Pholos sighed, rolling his eyes.</p>
<p>“Yes, the answer is yes.” He whistled with his fingers, and three other centaurs came galloping up to them, each stopping next to Willow, Gus, and Amity respectively. Pholos stood next to Luz, gesturing with his head. “Hop on, half-blood. We can get you there.”</p>
<p>Luz thought she knew what riding a horse was like. She’d ridden ponies at state fairs when she was a kid, so she figured hey, it can’t be that different.</p>
<p>She was wrong.</p>
<p>Centaurs are fast. Like, really fast. Luz had a feeling Pholos wasn’t even going anywhere near full speed as he weaved between trees. Luz had to wrap her arms around his neck just to hang on.</p>
<p>“You alright there, Luz?” Pholos asked as he followed Nessos, who was leading them around some rocky terrain.</p>
<p>“Fine, my stomach just hasn’t quite finished settling from the poison,” Luz said, and though it wasn’t nearly loud enough to be audible, Pholos chuckled, taking a huge leap over a boulder and hitting the ground running.</p>
<p>“Sorry about that. If it helps, you won’t be sick. We gave you the other vial of Gorgon’s blood as the antidote. That should stop you from feeling any illnesses, disease, or ailment for at least the next hour.” Pholos rubbed the back of his neck, and Luz realized that despite the centaurs being over centuries old, it was a very modern gesture. “Sorry about me, you know, shooting you.”</p>
<p>“You shot me?” Luz asked in surprise, her eyebrows raising. Pholos cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m Nessos’ second. His arrow missed, so I had to shoot next.”</p>
<p>Luz suddenly remembered something Gus had told her back on the bus to Denver. “I thought centaurs were supposed to be able to tell when they’re being deceived. Couldn’t you tell we were trying to stop Belos when you saw us?”</p>
<p>Pholos paused, not saying anything for a moment. Luz wondered if she’d hurt his feelings.</p>
<p>“I didn’t mean to-”</p>
<p>“I know you weren’t,” he said quickly, tapping his temple with a finger. “I could tell. You’re right, the centaurs on this mountain have a way of telling when somebody is lying or not telling the whole truth. We have a way of understanding the pieces to a whole before even talking to mortals.”</p>
<p>“So why’d you shoot at us?” Luz asked again, now frowning. “We’re not lying about our intentions.”</p>
<p>There was another tense silence. Luz was now wondering if the second in command was messing with her.</p>
<p>But then he turned his head, looking at Luz with a deep sadness in his eyes.</p>
<p>“You’re not lying, Luz. But somebody in your party is.”</p>
<p>There was a cold pulsing sensation that flushed through Luz’s stomach. Her mouth dropped open on its own, and she quickly closed it, remembering Pholos’ quick warning about flies he’d given her before they’d taken off running.</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” She asked quietly, her hands in his mane clenching instinctively. “None of my friends would lie to me.”</p>
<p>“Lies take many forms,” Pholos offered, but Luz could tell by the tone of his voice he was trying to make her feel better. “We feel them like waves from the ocean, magnetic and pulsing. The stronger the lie the greater the wave gives off. It is how we track mortals down on the mountain. We felt the wave with your party this morning, and it took us all day to track you.”</p>
<p>Luz sat there silently, trying to process what he was saying. “So… that’s unusual?”</p>
<p>“Very,” he said seriously. “It’s the longest it’s taken us to track mortals in over a hundred years.”</p>
<p>“So it’s not that bad of a lie then,” Luz said, but Pholos shook his head, and Luz’s spirits dampened once again.</p>
<p>“It is not the severity of the lie that was masked the pulse, it was the guilt.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean guilt?” Luz said, starting to feel herself getting frustrated that he wasn’t giving her a straight answer. “What does that have to do with it?”</p>
<p>“Everything!” the centaur insisted. “The demigods who try to deceive us rarely feel guilty. They see our paths as a means to an end. Your friend is masking the lie with guilt, and suppressing it to a point where she was able to hide it from us. But right before we found you… the mask faded. It was why Nessos was so insistent on killing you. The second the mask faded, it was like a siren went off. All the centaurs felt it at once.”</p>
<p>Luz prided herself on being optimistic. It was one of the things she was known for. She always did her best to look on the bright side. But as Pholos talked, she started to put the pieces together. Who would feel guilty about lying to Luz? What happened right before the centaurs found them?</p>
<p>Pholos must have felt that Luz put it all together because he was quiet as they rode through the mountain. Luz turned her head to the centaurs trailing them and saw Amity sitting on the back of one with dark hair and a silver tunic. Amity locked eyes with her and gave Luz a little smile.</p>
<p>Luz turned her head back, unable to keep looking. They rode in silence for a few more minutes, before Pholos cleared his throat again.</p>
<p>“You know, I once had a hard time seeing the truth for what it was. Before I joined the centaurs on this mountain, I was a member of the Party Ponies. It took a long time for me to realize that I was only scratching the surface of what it meant to live. There is more to life than letting yourself stay in a place of complacency and happiness forever. There is no true freedom without taking a risk.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Luz asked, hanging onto every word.</p>
<p>“It’s not easy,” Pholos said, looking back to smile reassuringly at Luz. “But sometimes the only way to understand the truth is to make yourself vulnerable to it. Then you’re able to make room for growth.”</p>
<p>Pholos turned his focus back on running, leaving Luz alone with her thoughts for a couple of minutes. She didn’t really understand what he was saying, but she supposed the being who was able to sense the lies from the truth knew what he was talking about. She just couldn’t shake the discomfort in her belly at the idea of confrontation. Luz didn’t want the optimistic part of her to be disappointed.</p>
<p>Life was never easy for Luz. If she dwelled on disappointment, it would swallow her whole.</p>
<p>She turned her head again and caught Amity talking with the centaur she was riding. They were engrossed in conversation, and Luz couldn’t help but smile when she saw Amity tip her head back and laugh.</p>
<p>Luz knew that even if Amity could trust her with the truth, she could make sure she knew to trust Luz when she was ready. Even if the truth would hurt Luz more than that poisoned arrow.</p>
<p>Pholos skidded to a halt, and Luz had to cling to him so she wouldn’t go flying off. When she looked up, she saw that Nessos had held up his hand to the centaurs, and they all huddled in a U shape around a safe enclosure of trees. Pholos nodded to Luz, and she slid off his back and hit the ground with a soft thump. Her friends had all done the same, and the four of them were now hiding behind a thick tree just near the edge of the clearing.</p>
<p>Luz peaked out and saw a rocky path leading towards a crevice in the side of the mountain. It was just like in Luz’s dream. The entrance was wide, easily over eight feet and it led straight into an open room Luz’s eyes couldn’t make out. There were the two bronze statues, and now that Luz got a closer look at them, she almost gasped out loud when she realized what they were.</p>
<p>Amity gently pinched her arm to stop her, and when Luz turned to look at her, and she shook her head, gesturing to just next to them.</p>
<p>There were two figures leaning against one of the statues, talking amicably. Luz couldn’t hear them, they were still much too far away, but she recognized both of them immediately.</p>
<p>The hulking figure in the white tank top from her dream, and the attractive boy with curly brown hair and a pearly smile.</p>
<p>Achilles and Theseus.</p>
<p>Standing right next to the massive bronze statues of Luz’s sword and Amity’s shield.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. I Decide Now's a Good Time to Call in Backup</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey everybody!</p><p>So sorry about the long wait. University has been kicking me in the teeth this semester. Most of my classes are literature and writing based, so when I'm not writing for school I'm usually away from my screen. </p><p>Hopefully, despite the delay, you enjoy this chapter! It's always fun to write ones like this. </p><p>Thanks for popping by to read :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“That’s my sword,” Luz whispered, turning to look at Amity with wide eyes. “That’s my sword and your shield! Why are my sword and your shield outside Belos’ cave?”</p><p>“This wasn’t always Belos’ cave,” said a low voice from behind them. Luz jumped, turning to face Nessos, who was watching the entrance with sad, wistful eyes.</p><p>“For centuries, this cave was the entrance to Mount Pelion, where the best and the bravest Greek heroes would come to seek out the centaurs for training. But long before that… it was sacred ground. The place that held the wedding of Peleus and his wife Thetis. This mountain is named after him because in a way he almost founded it. All the history of the centaurs and this land leads back to him.”</p><p>“And Belos kicked the centaurs out,” Luz said slowly, her eyebrows knitting together.</p><p>“It was a valiant fight, we didn’t roll over and cower,” Nessos retorted, and Luz put her hands up, her eyes widening in alarm.</p><p>“I didn’t say that!”</p><p>“Come now, Nessos,” Pholos murmured, his eyes set on Luz with the same wistfulness. “You know her intentions. Belos took advantage of us.”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Amity asked, her mouth set in a frown.</p><p>“Demigods have a strength on this mountain unmatched to any other land,” Nessos explained his tail swishing anxiously as he glanced over at Achilles and Theseus. “Centaurs are strong on their own, but compared to a demigod here, we are outmatched. Even on his own, Belos was able to drive us out.”</p><p>“So we’re doomed,” Willow mumbled, adjusting the glasses on her face. Luz shook her head, clenching her fists.</p><p>“No, we’re not. They might be demigods, but so are we. We’ll be able to push them out and the centaurs can return to the cave.”</p><p>“She is right,” Pholos said, nodding approvingly, “but you also have another advantage, one that they will not be expecting.”</p><p>He reached down and pointed at Luz’s ring and Amity’s bracelet. “These are the keys to Mount Pelion. They will guide you to complete your quest, and protect you from any enemies, demigod or not.”</p><p>Luz looked down, her hand hovering over the ring. “They will?”</p><p>Pholos watched Luz for a moment, and it felt like he was reading her whole soul. Eventually, he smiled.</p><p>“Even celestial bronze has memories embedded in their core. The blade you have is not cursed, Luz. Sometimes, when we don’t understand something, it is easy to look past a blessing.”</p><p>Luz thought on that for a moment, before Gus tapped her shoulder urgently.</p><p>“Uh, guys, if we want to get in that cave, we better move.”</p><p>He was right, Achilles and Theseus seemed to get over whatever conversation they were having, and instead turned and headed back into the cave, the hilt of their sheathed weapons glinting as the light hit them for the last time.</p><p>“Augustus is right,” Nessos said, pushing them forward. “You must go. There is no time left to spare.”</p><p>Luz’s friends nodded, beginning to walk out of the forest and towards the cave. Luz hesitated, looking back at Pholos. There was a silent question in her eyes, which the centaur replied too with a simple nod.</p><p>Taking a breath, Luz and her friends left the centaurs and headed up the path to the cave, doing their best to walk quietly and not alert the retreating figures of Achilles and Theseus that they were there.</p><p>They crept up behind the statues, and Gus leaned forward checking that nobody had seen them. Achilles and Theseus had headed down the cavern, their muffled voices bouncing off the cave walls. Luz wanted to pay attention to what they were saying… it was probably important. But her heart was pounding so loudly she could feel it rising up to her ears, and couldn’t focus on anything but that.</p><p>Eventually, Gus must have decided it was clear to move. He nodded, and together they began to sneak inside, careful to stick to the edges of the open door as it headed downhill towards the room.</p><p>The cavern was much longer and much darker than it had been in Luz’s dreams. It seemed to sink deeper and deeper, and without much light besides the flicker of torches hanging on the wall, she could barely see two feet in front of her face.</p><p>Suddenly, Gus stopped, and Luz had to catch herself so she didn’t slam into him. Amity grabbed her shoulders, and the four of them pressed against a nook on the wall, shielding their bodies. There was a wave of light that passed them, and Luz realized why they stopped.</p><p>They had reached some kind of armory. It was a separate tunnel that stretches away from the main cavern, and it was packed with revived demigods.</p><p>Theseus and Achilles were there, and though Achilles went without armor, Theseus had put on a bronze chest plate not dissimilar to the ones Luz used at camp. Behind Achilles, Luz recognized Orpheus, who was holding a bow and scowling as he talked to another demigod next to him. Thankfully, his lyre was nowhere to be seen. There was a handful of other demigods Luz had never seen, but considering most of them were wielding a weapon, Luz knew they were in trouble.</p><p>Gus was breathing so heavily near Luz’s leg that she was certain he was going to give them away.</p><p>“Gus, you need to relax,” Willow whispered, and the son of Athena shook his head.</p><p>“Do you know who some of those demigods are? That’s Hector and Actaeon, and… Holy Zeus… is that Meleager? How are we going to outmatch these guys?”</p><p>“The centaurs said we’ll have an advantage,” Amity insisted, keeping her voice low. Her body was right behind Luz’s, and her breath was so close to her ear it felt like she was shouting.</p><p>“We’re outnumbered twelve to four,” Willow said, and while she wasn’t nearly as panicked as Gus, Luz could tell she didn’t like the odds of the fight. “And these won’t be easy wins. These are demigods who have been around for thousands and thousands of years.”</p><p>Doubt swirled in Luz’s belly. She didn’t want to lead her friends into a death trap, but right now she didn’t know what other choices she had. If they went back, surely someone would see them. If they charged, they would be outnumbered in seconds.</p><p>Amity seemed decently confident that the centaurs had been right about their weapons. Luz didn’t know how exactly <em>Aletheia</em> would help in a three on one situation, but she didn’t want to rely on it. Luz didn’t know if that was just because she was still reeling from finding out Amity was keeping something from her, but even if that was the case, this was a situation she knew they wouldn’t be able to get out of alone.</p><p>They needed backup.</p><p>Backup… Luz’s face suddenly split into a grin. Around her neck, the bronze whistle seemed to burn against her skin.</p><p>“I have a plan,” she said, and though she couldn’t see them squished into the darkness of this nook, all three of her friends moved, their heads turning towards her. “Get your weapons ready.”</p><p>When she told them what her idea was, Willow and Gus didn’t seem too enthusiastic.</p><p>“Not that I don’t trust you Luz, but how do we even know this is going to work?” Willow asked, and Luz shrugged her shoulders.</p><p>“We don’t, but we’re stuck here either way. We have to try.”</p><p>“This is a suicide mission,” Gus mumbled, but nevertheless, his hand hovered over his spear. “Ok, I’m ready.”</p><p>“Me too,” Willow said, though she didn’t look happy about it.</p><p>Luz turned her head to Amity, who was watching the three of them quietly. “Amity? What do you think?”</p><p>Luz couldn’t see her, but she felt her shaky exhale against her face. “I think I’m owed a rematch with Achilles. I’m in, no matter what the plan is.”</p><p>That sinking feeling in Luz’s gut returned. Amity was never this reckless, she never liked charging in without a well thought out plan.</p><p>Luz decided that Pholos had been right. Amity was definitely keeping something from them.</p><p>Pushing away her doubt, Luz did her best to focus on the mission. “Alright, as long as we stick together, everything is going to be fine. Are you guys ready?”</p><p>There was the briefest movement, hopefully of a head nod, and Luz pushed herself off the wall and stepped out into the light. She drew her weapon, which shifted into her sword, and there was a startled yelp that came from the revived demigods as Luz and her friends stepped out together, weapons and shields drawn, staring them down.</p><p>“Hey everybody,” Luz said, doing her best to sound intimidating. “Do you mind pointing us in the direction of Hestia?”</p><p>Theseus and Achilles spared them a look of surprise, before Theseus’s expression turned murderous and Achilles grinned, rubbing his hands together like he had been waiting for a fight.</p><p>“Daughter of Hermes, you’ve finally arrived,” Achilles chuckled, drawing a wicked-looking spear from off his back. Around them, the other demigods drew their own blades, hovering behind them and waiting for their orders. “I’ve been waiting to see if you’re a worthy enough opponent to challenge me. I can only spar with Theseus here for so long.”</p><p>Amity clutched her sword, stepping forward. “Enough, Achilles. I want a rematch.”</p><p>“Very well, daughter of Aphrodite,” Achilles said with a shrug, his huge muscles rippling under the tank top as he did. “I will make sure you don’t get away from me this time. I hope you have a coin for the ferryman.”</p><p>Theseus scoffed, drawing his own <em>xiphos</em>. “Blunt as always, aren’t we Achilles?” His gaze flickered back to Luz. “I must admit I’m surprised you’re here. I knew you slew the Minotaur, but I thought my sow might be a more worthy challenge.”</p><p>“Enough, Theseus,” Orpheus interrupted, gripping a bow tightly between his fingers. “I want this one. She broke my lyre!”</p><p>Theseus sighed, rolling his eyes. “We’re all better off without it, Orpheus. I swear to the Emperor, you only know how to play three good riffs.”</p><p>“Take that back!”</p><p>Luz lowered her sword, looking to her friends in confusion. Were they just going to bicker this whole time?</p><p>“If you don’t mind?” One of the demigods shouted from the back, gesturing to Luz and her friends. “We should deal with them before the Emperor knows they’re here.”</p><p>“Gods, you know how to take the fun out of everything,” Achilles retorted, rolling his shoulders. “It’s no wonder I killed you back in Troy.”</p><p>“Hector makes a good point,” Theseus shrugged, gesturing to the Luz and her friends. The revived demigods sneered, stepping closer and closer to them. “So, Luz Noceda. Which one of us would you like to be killed by?”</p><p>“None of you are killing us today, Theo,” she insisted, and Luz reached under her shirt, pulling out the bronze whistle.</p><p>She prayed to every god she could think of. Please let this work. Please.  </p><p>She pressed it against her lips and blew. It made a shrill keening sound, and around her, everybody winced. The whistle shattered between her hands, the pieces scattering to the mountain floor.</p><p>Of course, nothing happened.</p><p>All the revived demigods laughed, and Luz felt her heart sink. Next to her, her friends all clutched their weapons, ready for a charge.</p><p>“What was that supposed to do? Deafen us?” Theseus said through laughs. He cleared a tear away from his eye, and then lifted his sword to the air. “Enough of this. Kill them!”</p><p>There was a roar as the revived demigods charged, and Luz tensed, ready for the swords and spears to inevitably crash into her. She closed her eyes, ready for death, and next to her, her friends all pressed together, weapons pointed.</p><p>But she never felt the blades hit her.</p><p>There was a booming crash, and Luz and her friends were thrown backward, skidding across the floor. In front of them, the demigods shrieked, and there was another huge boom. The smell of ozone split through the armory, and Luz heard a familiar whoop of delight.</p><p>Luz shakily got to her feet and looked, not believing her eyes.</p><p>Eda, Lilith, and King were standing there, weapons drawn, and had blasted Theseus back with a bolt of lightning. Around them, the revived demigods watched nervously, gripping their weapons tightly.</p><p>Eda turned her head, her gold eyes meeting Luz’s with that signature toothy grin. “Hey, kid! About time you let us have some fun.”</p><p>“Eda!” Luz exclaimed, getting to her feet. Next to her, her friends stood up relief splitting over their faces.</p><p>“No time for pleasantries! We can talk after,” she said, spinning her spear in her hand. Luz watched as it shifted into a sword.</p><p>“I love shadow travel!” King squealed in delight, crouching at Eda’s side. “Luz, you’ve gotta try it with me sometime.”</p><p>“I have… so many questions,” Luz mumbled. She turned to her other friends and saw just how relieved they were to have backup. She nodded to them, gripping her own sword.</p><p>“You guys ready?”</p><p>“Always,” Willow said, as Gus and Amity nodded. Luz didn’t even need to give any kind of speech to get them ready. They were all grinning, looking ready for battle than Luz had ever seen them.</p><p>They could do this.</p><p>“What are you all waiting for?” Theseus screeched from where he’d been knocked down. He stood up on one knee, pointing to Luz and her friends. “They’re still outnumbered! Get them!”</p><p>The demigods seemed to remember that little fact and split into a roar, charging towards them. Luz jumped into action as one charged at her, deflecting their blade and shoving them hard with her shoulder, sending them spinning into Eda, who slashed against their helmet. There were sounds of metal clanging against metal as the armory split into a battlefield.</p><p>Luz watched as Willow and Gus deflected swipe after swipe. With one push of his spear, Gus sent a demigod sailing into a weapons rack, hitting the ground with a thud. Lilith and Eda were shoulder to shoulder, deflecting the swings of at least four different demigods, and managing just fine. King ran between their legs, taking huge bites out of whoever was stupid enough to forget he was there. Next to her Amity was charging at Achilles, and met the first blow of his spear with her new shield.</p><p>As Luz took on a demigod with her own sword, she kept a watchful eye whenever she got the chance. Amity had been doing fine, but then Achilles grew frustrated and swiped with the back of his hand. Amity yelped as she got smacked, stumbling backward and towards a group of demigods who had been waiting for her. Luz slammed the hilt of her sword down on the demigod she was dueling, leaping towards Amity and deflecting one of the stabs the first demigod made.</p><p>“Watch your back!” Luz exclaimed, and Amity spun around, quickly recovering.</p><p>“Thanks!” She replied as she swung, pushing one demigod so far back he stumbled into another one.</p><p>They were able to deflect a few more swipes, but it was becoming clear that despite their backup, Luz and her friends were clearly outnumbered. Their circle was closing in, and soon, they would be completely outmatched once again. She shared a quick look with Amity and saw that eyes had that same recognition in them. Amity bit her lip and nodded to her, and Luz felt a newfound strength enter her. She would not let Theseus and his bullies hurt her friends.</p><p>With a roar, she swung at the next demigod and managed to clip the top of his helmet. He went sailing backward, knocking into the demigod behind him and they both hit a weapons rack, collapsing to the ground. Luz blinked, that should have been near impossible. She hadn’t hit him that hard.</p><p>Next to her, Amity pushed against one with her shield, and his feet were actually knocked off the ground. Luz’s eyes widened as Amity turned to look at her, equally shocked.</p><p>“What was that?”</p><p>“Your sword!” Amity gasped, looking at it.</p><p>Luz looked down in awe. <em>Aletheia</em> was glowing a faint bronzy color, and as Luz held it out towards <em>Dikē,</em> the shield also started to hum, glinting in the torchlight of the cave. The longer Luz looked at it, the more strength she felt flow into her body. She… she felt unstoppable. Like the whole mountain could come crashing down and Luz could hold it up with her bare hands. When Luz looked back at Amity she gasped. Her eyes… they weren’t gold anymore. They were that same bronzy glow as the weapons.</p><p>“Peleus’ weapons!” Amity exclaimed, looking just as refreshed as Luz was feeling. “Pholos was right!”</p><p>But they didn’t have time to sit there and awe over what they’d just discovered. When Luz turned her head, Gus had been knocked into by a demigod, and he barely managed to avoid getting skewered as he rolled. Eda and Lilith were getting backed into a corner, and they would soon be overtaken if they didn’t get help.</p><p>Down the end of the mountain path, there was another roar. Footsteps were thundering down the mountain, and Luz knew that the demigod's reinforcements were on the way.</p><p>“We need more backup!” Amity yelled, knocking another demigod flat against the ground.</p><p>“Where are we going to get more backup!” Luz retorted as the one Achilles was arguing with earlier saw an opening and charged at her. She blocked his first swing, going for the untraditional route of punching him in the throat. “I don’t have any more bronze whistles!”</p><p>“I have an idea, but it’s actually crazy! There’s no guarantee it’s going to work!” Amity said, kicking Hector in the side and sending him reeling into the wall of the armory.</p><p>“Seems on-brand for us,” Luz said with a shrug, and Amity nodded, flipping her sword around and pointing it towards the ground.</p><p>“Cover for me! I only saw dad do this once, and if it works, it’s going to take a lot out of me!”</p><p>“On it!” Luz said, already blocking another demigod from getting any closer.</p><p>Amity took a deep breath, closing her eyes and raising the hilt of her sword. “Grandfather Ares, I offer you my sword and the blessing of Peleus. Arm me with soldiers made of mountain and stone!”</p><p>With a grunt of effort, she pushed down the blade right against the mountain floor. Luz’s jaw dropped. It should have just deflected right off the hard stone, but instead, the <em>xiphos</em> sunk a foot and a half into it, like it was cutting through layers of paper. Amity dropped to one knee, and the mountain began to tremble. Out of the floor began to rise about two dozen of these… creatures. They were dark grey, and about six feet tall.</p><p>There were shouts of alarm from Belos’ men as the creatures seemed to solidify and take shape, immediately rallying behind Amity and charging, swiping demigods left and right, and roaring this sound that would have sent any sane person running.</p><p>Gus, out of breath, stumbled next to me, followed by Willow as they took a protective stance behind them. Amity exhaled, removing her sword from the ground, and stood. Luz had to catch her on the way up and steady her. The bronzy glow in her eyes was still there, but it occasionally flickered in and out.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Luz asked, biting her lip. She had been right, whatever she had done clearly took a lot out of her.</p><p>“I’ll be okay,” Amity said, as Gus and Willow watched her in awe.</p><p>“Amity, how did you do that?” Gus exclaimed in awe. Now that the creatures were helping, the demigods had more to deal with than usual. Even Eda and Lilith had the pressure taken off, now swinging a lot more artistically, like they were enjoying themselves. “You just summoned Ares’ Abominations!”</p><p>“He’s my grandfather,” she said with a shrug. “I thought it might work, so I gave it a try. I guess he likes me.”</p><p>“Are you okay to keep fighting?” Luz asked, and Amity nodded, already clutching her sword.</p><p>“Definitely.”</p><p>There was a sudden deep rumbling from the mountain, and it was so strong it nearly knocked Luz and her friends off their feet. Luz tightened her grip on Amity, and when the tremors subsided, they looked to one another in terror.</p><p>“Let’s hope that was from the summoning,” Amity mumbled, and Luz couldn’t help but agree.</p><p>The four of them threw themselves back into the fight. Amity with her abominations at her side went straight for Achilles, charging into him with such a fury that Luz wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. Gus and Willow were battling around her, so she figured for the moment Amity was probably going to be fine.</p><p>Luz peered towards Eda and Lilith and saw Eda scrapping with three demigods, including Theseus. She was holding them off, but judging by the clench in her jaw Luz knew she could probably use some help.</p><p>She broke into her best battle cry, running towards Theseus and leaping, clinging to his back and making him stumble. He spun in a circle, knocking one of his own demigods over in the process.</p><p>“Augh! Get off me!” He roared, and Luz clutched tighter to his back as Eda stabbed. He cried out in pain and collapsed, and Luz rolled off him, hitting him in the head with the hilt of her blade so hard he was knocked unconscious.</p><p>“Nice kid!” Eda yelled, and Luz turned towards her and grinned.</p><p>“Thanks! It’s my signature move,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.</p><p>“Luz, you have to go find Hestia!” Lilith said from next to her, while she stabbed her spear towards a demigod. “That tremor was proof enough, we’re running out of time!”</p><p>“We’ll hold the demigods here,” Eda added, smiling reassuringly. The second wave of Belos’ reinforcements had arrived, but they were clashing with abominations the second they got in. Luz realized that now was her chance. She could hurry and run down the rest of the cavern, and there was a decent chance nobody would notice.</p><p>“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”</p><p>“With little Blights abominations on our side? Absolutely,” Eda insisted, gesturing to the rest of the armory, which was currently being torn to bits by the abominations.</p><p>King took another bite out of the leg of a demigod. “We will be victorious! But not if this mountain falls on us first.”</p><p>Luz hesitated. She didn’t want to leave her friends, but she knew that they were right. If she left, she could find Hestia and end this right now.</p><p>Sparing one last glance around the battlefield, she watched as Amity roared, swinging at Achilles and knocking him flat on his back. Willow and Gus took out two more demigods in a synchronized double strike, and next to her, Eda and Lilith were clashing their weapons together, the level of ozone in the room slowly rising.</p><p>They would be fine. Luz had a job to do.</p><p>So she turned tail and fled, racing down the mountain caverns and towards the caged goddess of the hearth.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Emperor Belos and his Nuclear Eye Drops</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi all! I am so sorry for the wait. I hope this chapter makes up for it! </p><p>I've been so overwhelmed by everybody who's left a thoughtful comment on the last few chapters. I do read every comment, even if I don't have time to respond to them, and I want to thank each and every one of you for the support from the bottom of my heart. I'm so happy you are all enjoying this silly little fic I can't stop writing &lt;3</p><p>In the spirit of everybody seeming to love my fic, I've commissioned an artist to draw a scene in this chapter for your guys' enjoyment! I think the drawing came out fantastic, and I hope you guys do too! If you love it, check out @alexdesign12e on Instagram and leave a lovely comment if you like it! He worked so hard on it, and again I really do love the way it turned out, so show him some love :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz’s dream hadn’t given away just how deep the caves of Mount Pelion actually were.</p><p>There was a moment when she was running where it felt like she was just sliding straight down, and she panicked for a moment, praying to every god she could think of that she was going the right way.</p><p>The torches on the wall were her only source of light, and the screeching and shouting from the battle in the armory were getting quieter and quieter the farther down she descended.</p><p>As she walked, Luz realized that this was the first time she was alone, truly alone, since she’d hopped on a bus to escape from Lina on her last day of school. Luz had been alone most of her life, so she knew what it felt like, but she had forgotten how uncomfortable it really made her feel.</p><p>She’d made friends, fantastic, lovely, and incredible friends since she’d come to camp. She definitely wouldn’t have made it as far as she had without them. But now that she was alone, she felt every cut she’d gotten during the last few weeks’ worths of battles… every bruise, every sore muscle, every piece of hair that had fallen into place. Without her friends, exhaustion was creeping into her bones, and she was starting to wonder if she should have run away without anybody following her.</p><p>She was just one demigod. How was she going to do this on her own?</p><p>Eventually, she made it.</p><p>All at once, the cave felt familiar. Luz had seen it plenty of times before in her dreams, enough times that she instantly recognized the widening of the halls, the damp aroma of the cavern, and the sinking feeling in her gut that something <em>very</em> unnatural was lying within.</p><p>Then, she saw the portal.</p><p>Luz didn’t understand how it was possible, but it had somehow gotten even more terrifying than it was in her dreams.</p><p>It was still around the same size, but Luz was no longer able to see what lied within it. Instead, the ten foot tall border of obsidian and metal was protecting layers and layers of dark mist. Instead of having one little hearth on the top of the portal, now there was two huge flames sitting on either side of it. The smoke seemed to rise up in to the air and get sucked into the depth of the portal, sinking deeper and deeper until it wrapped into the mist entirely. Next to the portal was the small table and the chalice she had seen in her first dream, and while it looked expensive, it was quite underwhelming sitting next to something like the portal.</p><p>Dread started sinking into Luz’s stomach. How in Hades was she supposed to destroy <em>that</em>?</p><p>She heard the clanking of chains, and her gaze was ripped from the portal when she saw the cage, and the girl lying within.</p><p>She looked like a ghost. Luz hadn’t seen many goddesses before, but based on the ones she had seen, Luz had a hard time believing this girl could be one. She was so small and tiny she barely looked a day over nine, and she was bent over on her knees, her face pressed into the floor of the mountain pitifully. She was straining against the chains, but they might as well have been pinning her in place because despite the obvious effort she was putting in to move, she wasn’t budging an inch.</p><p>“Lady Hestia?”</p><p>The girl looked up, and Luz’s heart sank. Her eyes… they’d gotten so dark they almost looked black. All the warmth they’d had the first time Luz saw her in the cage was gone.</p><p>“You’re too late, brave one,” she said, and despite her voice being barely a whisper it cut through Luz’s ears like an icy wind. “Belos has stolen the last of my flame, and in mere moments the mountain will fall. You must run! Leave this place before it takes you with it.”</p><p>Luz froze, blinking. “Leave you? But I came all this way to <em>free</em> you.”</p><p>“Do not sacrifice yourself for this,” she insisted, “you have a chance to regroup and fight another day. Do not fulfill the prophecy here… not when the portal has already taken my flame and all the nightmares of the Underworld will rise and serve their Emperor!”</p><p>The prophecy. Amity had told her the rest of it… she’d said something like that… Luz wracked her brain trying to remember.</p><p><em>From what you find in the nightmare, a hero’s life ends</em>.</p><p>There was another tremor, the whole mountain shaking right beneath Luz’s feet. She stumbled, gripping the side of the cave as the walls shook around her. Eventually, they began to subside, and Luz grit her teeth pulling herself to her feet.</p><p>Nobody’s life was going to end. She didn’t come all this way to fail.</p><p>“I’m not leaving you here,” Luz retorted, “if the mountain falls, there’s nothing any of us can do to stop Belos.”</p><p>So Luz made up her mind. With a furious scream, she charged, sprinting across the room towards the cage and hacking down with her sword. The metal bars split like she was cutting through paper, and five of the thick steel bars fell. Luz cut a hole through, leaning in to crouch down next to Hestia, who was still chained to the floor.</p><p>“This is foolish, hero,” Hestia warned, as Luz lifted her hands to examine the chains, looking for the right way to cut through. “The mountain-”</p><p>There was another tremor, the metal bars of the cage rattling. This one was much stronger than the last and lasted almost a full thirty seconds. Luz had to cling to the slashed metal to avoid falling on her own sword.</p><p>“Nobody is getting left behind,” Luz panted as the shaking subsided, “we promised Demophon we would free you, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”</p><p>“Demophon?” Hestia breathed, and for the first time since Luz found her, Hestia’s eyes seemed to flicker with warmth. “You spoke to him?”</p><p>Luz opened her mouth to reply, but Hestia’s eyes suddenly widened.</p><p>“The Mist!”</p><p>Luz cocked her brow, confused before she looked down and her eyes widened in horror. All around her, black mist had slowly begun to fill the area around the mangled cage, and Luz had to scramble back to avoid it. She didn’t miss it all though, and some of it managed to creep up around her face near her nose. She choked, her nostrils filled with the horribly familiar smell of rotting meat.</p><p>Death Mist.</p><p>Luz wasn’t proud of how fast she ran to get away, especially with Hestia trapped in the cage unable to move, but she couldn’t stand it. Her eyes had already started to water, and by the time she pressed back against the wall next to the door she’d come through, she wanted to drown herself in water just to get it out of her lungs. She debated turning and running when she heard his voice.</p><p>“Up-pup-pup! Don’t go anywhere. I’d actually like to have a word with you, demigod.”</p><p>All at once, the mist vanished. When Luz took a few shaky breaths, she looked up and saw him.</p><p>Belos was standing between her and Hestia, one hand on his staff, the other watching her with what looked almost like interest in his neon eyes. The horns on his golden mask leered over her, casting a shadow in the haze of the torches hanging along the mountain wall.</p><p>Luz glowered at the sight of him, all the rage towards the way he’d been tormenting her dreams rising up in one furious bubble. Gripping her sword tightly, she felt her mouth twist into an angry scowl.</p><p>“Let Hestia go, or else!”</p><p>She yelled and swung her sword, feeling it collide hard with Belos’ staff as he raised it to block her. Luz strained against it, but he was completely unmoveable.</p><p>“Okay,” Belos said, and all at once, Luz felt him push, sending her skidding backward against the mountain floor. “I’ll play.”</p><p>He charged, his staff extending into a wicked four-foot sword, and Luz’s eyes widened. She did the only thing she could think to do; deflect.</p><p>Belos was stronger than her in every way imaginable. He had speed, strength, and strategy. If it wasn’t for Luz’s adrenaline keeping her dodging and deflecting, he would have already sliced her open.</p><p>She was gritting her teeth with every move, her chest heaving as she looked for an opening. She reared back, swinging at his shoulder when she thought he might be leaning too hard on the other side, but she nearly got her hair chopped off the top when he spun and swung right above where she was standing.</p><p>She was going to lose, and he knew it.</p><p>“What’s wrong, demigod? I thought you wanted a fight.”</p><p>With one brutal kick, he knocked Luz backward. She fell right onto her knees, Aletheia skidding away from her hand and back into a ring. Luz covered it with her left hand, breathing hard as Belos pointed his sword at her, tilting his head.</p><p>“Had enough?”</p><p>He was about two feet away. The perfect opening.</p><p>“Not even close,” Luz smirked, scooping up the ring and flinging it right towards his face. The ring shifted into a knife, striking him right in the left eye. Belos hissed, recoiling as there was a shattering sound, a piece of his mask falling at her feet. He clutched his face, and Luz scooped the knife into her hands, clutching it while she heaved on the ground, still recovering from his kick.</p><p>But she’d made a mark.</p><p>Belos chuckled, his back still turned from her, and Luz watched as his hand covered over his eye.</p><p>“I like your spirit,” he said, turning to look at Luz. His mask was chipped, two thick lines running above it. It made his neon eyes look more menacing like he’d been using nuclear eye drops.</p><p>“Try that again and things won’t end well for you.”</p><p>Belos turned, kicking Luz again and sending her spinning into the ground. She coughed, clutching her chest as she struggled to look up at him.</p><p>“I am just a man on a mission. In the grand scheme of things, the goddess’ life is inconsequential. But now, you’re here. And the mountain is falling, whether we like it or not.”</p><p>Luz was wincing as she looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowing as she listened to what he was saying.</p><p>“If you want to save the life of everybody here in the mountain, let me use the portal. I will bring my army through, and spare the life of your friends, and the hearth goddess.”</p><p>It was an impossible choice. One that put Luz right between a rock and a hard place. She couldn’t pick.</p><p>“But… Olympus…” she whispered, biting her lip.</p><p>The mountain shook again, and Luz cried out as the shock of it flattened her right against the ground. This time, the mountain was not left unscathed, and the earth began to shift, the back wall of the cavern splitting away from the earth. Chunks of rock collapsed, and Luz shouted in terror as the wall of the cavern fell back and into the open air, and light suddenly rushed into the room. The back of the mountain dropped like an avalanche, and thank the gods it didn't take Hestia's cage with it, just some of the huge metal crates Luz had hidden behind in her dreams when she was spying. As bright morning light hit her face, Luz winced, doing her best to blink it out and take stock. She was alive, and the tremors hadn't dropped her off the mountain yet. </p><p>But it was also just after dawn, which meant it had almost been forty-eight hours since they left the Blight manor.</p><p>They were almost out of time.</p><p>Belos chuckled menacingly as the tremor’s eventually subsided, and it looked like he hadn’t even been phased by the earthquake.</p><p>“You probably think I want to invade Olympus. But the will of my army is not so boorish. We want to purify this world, rid them of the gods and every awful thing they stand for. There will be order and peace, a chance for demigods and the will of man to decide the fate of the world.”</p><p>“You want to take this world all for yourself,” Luz spat, glaring up at him. He tilted his head curiously at her outburst, but let her talk. She wondered if he found it humorous. Probably.</p><p>“You think getting rid of the gods will solve our problems?” Luz exclaimed, getting slowly to her feet, clenching her knife tightly against her chest. “That it will fix everything wrong with this world? Look at what you’ve done! You’ve brought back heroes from beyond the grave and instead of making things better you’ve only made the lives of demigods worse!”</p><p>She pointed her knife at him accusingly, all the frustration she was feeling from the quest, and her life back at camp, and from the way this quest has treated her friends… treated Amity. All this chaos and pain was Belos’ fault.</p><p>“You’ve done nothing but hurt the people I care about since I realized I was a demigod. You’re no better than the gods you hate.”</p><p>There was a twitch in Belos’ face that Luz might not have seen had she not broken a part of his mask. For a moment, Luz thought he was going to charge. She would have been dead, with him holding a sword and her the knife. But then, he straightened, turning away from her and towards the portal that was swirling again. The mist was getting thicker and thicker, the flames next to it rising higher and higher… and Luz realized what was about to happen.</p><p>It was going to open again.</p><p>“I think it’s best you reconsider,” Belos said, watching it. “Tik-Tok, demigod, time is almost out. Attack me, and die. Leave this place, and your friends shall live.”</p><p>The portal began to glow a deep purple, and the mist changed. Now, it was translucent, and Luz could see with terrified eyes the horrors that were behind it. Armies upon armies of the undead, souls waiting to come back to this world. They were clawing at the door, waiting to be the next one out.</p><p>The flames around the portal began to rise, and Hestia groaned from behind her chains. The mountain started shaking, and Luz knew then it was too late. She was out of time.</p><p>Then, her eyes locked on the chains.</p><p>The chains.</p><p>How far away were they? Ten feet? Fifteen? Much farther than the strings at Orpheus’ manner. She’d probably just hit Hestia. But she had no choice. There was nothing else she had up her sleeve, no other tricks she could pull. It was her last chance.</p><p>So, she threw her knife.</p><p>It sailed through the air, slashing through one of the chains right as Belos realized what she’d done. He twisted, his eyes following the knife as it made its mark, cutting through the ones wrapped around Hestia’s right hand. For a moment, the portal weakened, the mist darkening, and Luz could no longer see the hundreds of souls of the other side.</p><p>But she’d only cut one chain. She hadn’t done it, Hestia was still locked against the ground, her knees wrapped, one hand free to desperately try and throw the knife back towards Luz. It clattered against the floor to the right of Belos, just past his shoulder.</p><p>She’d never get there. She knew it. She’d failed.</p><p>Roaring, Belos turned, rearing his sword up and swinging towards her. Luz squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the slice that would inevitably kill her. She’d never be able to dodge, not without a weapon, and certainly not without Belos catching her.</p><p>But when she closed her eyes, she wasn’t greeted by death.</p><p>“Luz!”</p><p>She felt a body slamming into her from the side, sending her reeling against the mountain floor. She gasped as she landed hard on her stomach, her eyes flying open to see what hit her.</p><p>Well, more like who.</p><p>Amity had blocked the strike, meeting Belos’ sword with her own. She’d shoved Luz out of the way, and she’d managed to keep Luz alive, if not for a few seconds.</p><p>“Bah!” Belos spat, glaring at her. “Aphrodite’s brat. I see Achilles was thwarted by you yet again.”</p><p>“He should have thought twice before taking on a Blight!” She hissed, pushing back and swinging again. Belos blocked it, his eyes narrowing. Amity had always been better with a sword than Luz. The sight of it began to fill Luz’s chest with hope. The tables were starting to turn.</p><p>Luz scooped up <em>Aletheia</em>, shifting it into a sword, and charged, rearing back to swing at Belos while he was occupied with Amity.</p><p>He saw her coming, sidestepping both of them. Now, Luz and Amity were side by side, guarding the portal with their swords raised. Their eyes were narrowed in determination, their bodies tensed in a silent agreement.</p><p>They wouldn't let him open that portal. Whatever it took, they were going to stop him.</p><p>
  
  
</p><p>Belos’ eyes shifted between them, before spinning his sword into a staff. The pole was double-edged, with a foot of wicked bronze on either end. Perfect for when you were outnumbered.</p><p>The mountain rumbled again, and Amity gasped, stumbling. Luz reached over and caught her, dropping both of them to their knees while the quakes wracked through the cavern. Even Belos shifted, needing to grip his staff with both hands to keep himself steady. When they subsided, Luz helped Amity to her feet.</p><p>“Are you okay?” She whispered, and the daughter of the love goddess whipped her head to look at her like she had three heads.</p><p>“Am I okay? I’m not the one who ran off to try and free Hestia on her own!” She hissed, and Luz winced, shrugging her shoulders.</p><p>“Lilith saw an opening and told me to run.”</p><p>Behind them, the portal's flames popped, rising up again despite Luz cutting one of the chains. In the cage, Hestia flinched, but she was now at least on her knees and pulling at the other chain trying to free herself. Belos was stepping closer to them, his eyes narrowed, obviously angry.</p><p>This was a bad situation. One that kept getting worse. But at least now she wasn’t alone.</p><p>Luz turned back to Belos, gripping her sword tightly. “You’re outnumbered. Surrender, and close the portal for good.”</p><p>Belos chuckled and shook his head, his staff pressing hard into the ground leaving white slashes along the rocky floor.</p><p>“Oh no, demigod. We are not done here,” he said, lifting his left hand. The mountain got colder, the temperature dropping as Belos flicked his hand, and Death Mist curled out from around his cloak.</p><p>“Before this mountain falls, I am going to kill you both. Then I will open that portal and run Olympus to the ground.”</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Hestia Whips Out Some Firepower</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everybody! </p><p>Thank you all for your lovely comments and kudos on the last chapter and all the ones before it. We're nearing the end here, so I didn't want to comment back too much on your observations just to make sure everything falls into place and I won't spoil anything!</p><p>Try not to kill me for this one ;)</p><p>xoxo</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Death Mist began to move towards them, and Luz felt goosebumps erupt over her arms as the temperature inside the mountain continued to drop. A cold rush of wind from the open gap in the mountain wall blew through the cavern, but the Mist still blew through it, untouchable. From her position next to Luz, Amity tensed.</p><p>“I hate when children of Hecate use magic.”</p><p>“Do we have a strategy for that Death Mist?” Luz squeaked, already dreading breathing more of it in. Amity shrugged her shoulders, swinging her sword as she eyed Belos up and down, looking for an opening.</p><p>“Move fast enough so it doesn’t catch you.”</p><p>Luz swallowed. “Great plan.”</p><p>“We’ve got this,” Amity encouraged, “just keep moving, don’t standstill. The Mist rises, if you don’t give it a chance to engulf you, you won’t breathe it in.”</p><p>Luz remembered that this wasn’t Amity’s first time dealing with the Death Mist. If anything, she would be more capable of working around it than Luz could ever dream to. Taking a quick breath to ready herself, she lifted her sword, already eyeing a spot on Belos’ left that looked decently unguarded.</p><p>She felt her strength returning and looked down at her sword. The blessing seemed to pulse through her veins when the sword and shield were in close proximity. A matching set.</p><p>“Luz?”</p><p>Luz turned her head and was met with Amity’s nervous Peleus-Blessed bronze ones. Despite her tattered battle-weary attire and the bags under her eyes from staying up all night, she still took Luz’s breath away. “Yeah?”</p><p>“Don’t die.”</p><p>Luz realized this was the first time she was alone with Amity since the tree. Well, not truly alone, since Belos was still bracing for them to charge, but more alone than surrounded by her other friends and centaurs. She got the feeling the request meant a lot more to Amity than it seemed to at surface level.</p><p>But she couldn’t do anything about it, because Amity was already charging. With a roar, she flung her sword into the air and down, and it deflected hard off Belos’ double-sided staff. Luz slid in after her, moving through the Mist and aiming hard towards his left, but Belos was able to push Amity back and meet <em>Aletheia</em> with his staff once again. He stabbed forwards, which Luz was able to deflect right on time, and then backwards when Amity came up on his rear, and she barely lifted <em>Dike</em> on time to deflect the sharp edge off the shield.</p><p>Belos pushed the staff forwards and Luz rolled right, coming up to swing with her blade. It clipped the inside of Belos’ knee, and he hissed in pain, swinging his leg forward to kick Luz hard in the ribs. The breath was momentarily knocked out of her lungs, and the Mist surged forward towards her now that she was down.</p><p>Luz saw it coming and stood, only catching a waft of raw meat. It was gross, but it could be worse. She threw herself back at Belos, managing to knock his staff right before he stabbed at Amity.</p><p>Two demigods were inevitably better than one. Despite his skill, Amity and Luz were quickly gaining the advantage. Amity slashed forward and sliced one of the horns off Belos’ mask as he ducked to get away, and Luz thought for just a moment they might have him cornered.</p><p>But then the tremors started again.</p><p>These ones felt like full-blown quakes. Amity stumbled away from Belos to keep her footing, but Luz was mid-swing and wasn’t so lucky. The mountain floor shifted under Luz’s feet and knocked her down, sending <em>Aletheia</em> skidding a few feet away. Luz tried to roll in the direction of her sword, but Belos was ready and slashed, managing to slice Luz across the bicep with his staff.</p><p>The pain was instant, and Luz cried out. Blood soaked down the side of her hoodie and onto the mountain floor, and she was too afraid to look at it. But it wasn’t her sword hand, and Luz was still alive. It could wait.</p><p>She scooped up the sword and swung while Belos was distracted with Amity, thinking Luz was down. But she was lightheaded from the blood loss and hadn’t swung with as much force as she hoped, so instead of running Belos through the flat of her blade just smacked him in the back of the head right as another massive tremor shook through the mountain.</p><p>Thankfully, it was enough. He stumbled, and Amity was on him. She slashed across his chest with the full force of her sword, and Belos’ howled. She spun, kicking him as hard as she could in the nose with the heel of her shoe, and he was knocked backwards, landing with a hard smack into the bars of Hestia’s cage.</p><p>Instantly, Amity was on her.</p><p>“Luz! Are you alright?”</p><p>Luz’s arm was burning. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily. She dropped her sword, and it clattered against the shaking mountain floor as she brought her hand up to her arm.</p><p>“I’ll be alright. It just really stings.”</p><p>“Luz this is a deep cut,” Amity muttered. She reached down with her sword and cut the bottom of her shirt, wrapping it around her arm and tying it tightly. “This will stop the bleeding, but you need ambrosia or nectar.”</p><p>While the wrap on her arm stung, Luz wasn’t ready to give in. She reached out and picked up her sword, and it felt like her strength was slowly starting to return. The blessing would keep her going, just for a little while longer.</p><p>“We can worry about me later. We have to free Hestia, or the portal will open and the mountain will fall!”</p><p>Amity didn’t seem to like this idea and opened her mouth to protest when another tremor thudded through the mountain. Some of the earth beneath the newly made drop began to shift, and Luz saw what was happening long before Amity gasped.</p><p>Another piece of the mountain was falling. And it was so close to Hestia’s cage it might take her with it.</p><p>The two of them pulled themselves to their feet, doing their best to get over to the hearth goddess as quickly as they could, holding onto each other so they didn’t stumble. Hestia was still fighting against the chain around her arm, but she couldn’t free herself.</p><p>“Heroes!” She called urgently, her eyes flashing in panic. “I cannot release my powers until the other cord to the portal is cut!”</p><p>They moved as quickly as they could through an earthquake, making it about halfway across the cavern until Belos stood up. He glowered furiously, one horn still missing and a huge slash across his chest not deep enough to keep him down permanently. It started across his shoulders and ended near his hip, and instead of blood…</p><p>“Monster dust,” Amity whispered, tightening her grip around Luz’s shoulder.</p><p>“The price you pay for life,” he hissed, spinning his staff in his hand. At least he seemed to be struggling to stand, looking just as battered and Luz felt. “While some of my soldiers may be able to drink from the cup and live through flesh and blood again, I crawled through the depths of Tartarus to restore my glory.”</p><p>“Luz,” Amity whispered, releasing her grip on her arm. “Free Hestia. I’ll take care of Belos.”</p><p>“What?” Luz exclaimed, turning her head to look at her in shock. “No! He’ll kill you!”</p><p>“He won’t get the chance,” he growled, already eyeing him like she was looking for an opening. “You’re hurt, and you can’t take him on again. Somebody has to free Hestia.”</p><p>Luz wouldn’t even consider it. It was a suicide mission, even for somebody as skilled as her.</p><p>“Amity, you can’t just-”</p><p>“We have no choice!” She finally snapped, the bronzy hue of her eyes going brighter for just a moment. Luz was startled into silence, so shocked by her outburst she had no idea what to say. She’d never seen Amity like this before, ever. Something in Amity’s eyes softened as she looked at Luz, and she swallowed hard.</p><p>“Luz, this is how it’s supposed to be. You have to let it happen.”</p><p>The way she was phrased that was freaking Luz out. She didn’t know what to do, her legs felt like jelly, and the trembling of the mountain was getting stronger and stronger.</p><p>“I can’t just let you do this!” Luz tried, and Amity pulled her for a kiss, shutting up whatever she was going to say yes.</p><p>It was nothing like their first kiss, which was soft and gentle. This one was firm, eager, and barely lasted a second. When Amity pulled away, her eyes were flickering from bronze to gold. Luz tasted saltwater and realized she’d been crying.</p><p>“Go,” Amity just said, lifting her sword and turning back to Belos. With a furious cry, she charged and met his staff with her sword.</p><p>With a shaky breath and a racing heart, Luz turned and bolted as fast as she could towards the cage, just as the ground rippled into the largest quake yet.</p><p>Luz collapsed to the ground right at the goddess’ feet. With her free hand, Hestia steadied her, and the ground seemed to split right under them. Luz knew the cage was going to collapse with the mountain, and she had to be away from it when it did.</p><p>Behind her, she heard the sounds of clashing blades, signalling to her that Amity was still alive. So, gritting her teeth, she lifted her sword towards the goddess, and Hestia lifted her hand into the arm and brought it down, the chain shattering around the blade as she did.</p><p>It was like an explosion when she did. All at once, Luz was forced into the shaking ground as Hestia rose, and white-hot heat spread through the air. Luz turned her head to look at the portal, and all at once the flames were smothered from the chalice’s, the mist surrounding the portal turning completely dark. Extended her hands towards Belos, as he prepared a swing at Amity, and hot hearth fire blasted in his direction, knocking his body against hers with a roar. Amity stumbled but managed to catch herself near the edge of the mountain, catching her breath.</p><p>Belos slammed into the ground, groaning in agony as he reached to cover where the hearth had hit him. The goddess relaxed, placing a hand on Luz’s shoulder.</p><p>“That will subdue him, if only for a moment. We need to move, now!”</p><p>“What do you mean? The portal is closed!”</p><p>“Do mortals not learn anything about earthquakes?” Hestia retorted. Luz was able to look up at her now, and she looked more like a goddess than Luz had ever seen her. She still didn’t look a day over nine, but standing up she towered over Luz, and her eyes were renewed with the burning fire of coals.</p><p>The ground had started trembling with renewed force, pieces of the roof collapsing as more of it fell into the mountain. It wasn’t coming from the portal this time. Luz’s Mami had told her about these kinds of quakes, some of the most dangerous kinds if you weren’t careful. She paled, realizing what was about to happen.</p><p>“Aftershocks.”</p><p>The shaking was so intense, Luz could barely stand. Hestia pulled her up by the arm firmly, much stronger than she would have expected from the form of a nine-year-old. As she stumbled away from the cage, it began to fall, sliding backwards down pieces of the mountain and into the open air.</p><p>Luz turned her head as Hestia moved, and started to panic.</p><p>“Amity!”</p><p>She hadn’t been able to stand with the force of the aftershock. She was still kneeling on the ground, her face contorted in concentration as she tried to crawl away. But pieced were falling around her, and soon it had reached where she and Belos were standing. The earth began to shift again, indicating that it was going to fall too</p><p>“Hestia, we have to help!” Luz exclaimed, shifting direction and moving towards her. Hestia turned at the sight and began to follow, only able to make it about halfway to them before it caught up to Belos. The ground shifted, and he rolled, less than a few feet away from Amity now.</p><p>“Stay away from her!” Luz snarled, moving with renewed force. Amity stood just as he did, and Belos reached to grab her. Amity swung with her elbow, able to clip him in the jaw and send him stumbling.</p><p>“Bah! I will not be stopped. Even if I die here, I will return again, and plot again to destroy Olympus from the inside out!”</p><p>“I will stop you a hundred times before that happens!” Amity spat, and with a mighty lunge, she stabbed with her sword and sent it right through his chest.</p><p>There was another tremble, and the earth beneath them shook. Luz was knocked flat on her stomach, and clawed with her hands to pull herself to her feet. Amity stumbled as the earth shifted once again, but kept a tight grip on her sword.</p><p>Belos looked down at the blade, and as Luz got back to her feet, she realized he was laughing at them.</p><p>“You demigods always need to play the hero. It will never do anything but be your downfall.”</p><p>There was a crashing sound as another piece from the room fell, landing right between Luz and Amity. The mountain trembled, and right between Amity’s feet, the ground shifted.</p><p>“Amity!” Luz screamed, desperately running forward. But there was nothing she could do.</p><p>Amity’s gaze turned towards Luz, and she saw that her face had morphed into a stoic acceptance. She wanted to scream at her to run, to come to her, to get away from the collapsing edge. But then all the hints and clues came rushing back to Luz in waves, and she finally put the pieces together.</p><p>First, she remembered when she was on the back of Pholos.</p><p>
  <em>“You’re not lying, Luz. But somebody in your party is.”</em>
</p><p>Then, the conversation with Amity in the tent.</p><p><em>“My prophecy wasn’t exactly optimistic</em>.<em>” </em></p><p>The way Amity had looked when Orpheus mentioned the prophecy at his manor.</p><p>
  <em>“Why don’t you go find Belos yourself and fulfil the prophecy?” </em>
</p><p>Even stupid Theseus on the bus had said it.</p><p>
  <em>“One of you is doomed to die. Amity assumed it was her.” </em>
</p><p>Amity pulled the sword out of Belos, and the wannabe Emperor collapsed. The earth beneath him started to fall, and Amity took a step back as he disappeared over the edge.</p><p>Luz was still running forward, desperate to try anything. Any plan, any chance to get her out of there, anything she could do to stop the prophecy. But she was out of time, and Amity knew it too. The daughter of Aphrodite’s eyes were a blazing bronze, and she gripped the sword tightly in her hand as the earth shook and roared.</p><p>With one final tremble, the mountain beneath Amity's feet collapsed, and she fell through the open air.</p>
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<a name="section0030"><h2>30. The Brazilian Business Man and His Silk Suit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello Hello!</p><p>I'm sorry for the last chapter's cliff hanger. I hope this one makes up for it! I had a ton of fun writing this one, and even though I had some writer's block getting started, I think it turned out really well and I'm very happy with it!</p><p>I hope you guys enjoy finally getting some of these big answers :)</p><p>Thank you for all the support! I'll leave you all to read &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luz stood there on the edge of the mountain screaming out for Amity until her throat was raw.</p><p>She hadn’t seen where she landed. Beneath about twenty feet below her, there were piles of rocks and some shrubs covering the base of the mountain. Luz hadn’t realized just how deep the tunnel to the cave ran. The portal had been so deep inside the mountain, it was like they hadn’t climbed it at all.</p><p>Amity was down there somewhere. Luz kept hoping, praying, that any moment now she was going to climb out of one of the bushes, call out to Luz that she was okay, and they would meet outside the mountain.</p><p>That hadn’t happened.</p><p>But she kept screaming. Hoping. Praying.</p><p>“I don’t understand,” Hestia mumbled from right behind her. Now that the tremors had subsided and the portal had been shut down, she was more willing to stand near the edge next to Luz. “This shouldn’t have happened.”</p><p>Luz felt anger rise in her chest so quickly she couldn’t help but spin around on her.</p><p>“Of course it wasn’t! She wasn’t supposed to die! Amity always is the one who sacrifices everything for everybody. Couldn’t she for once get to share some of that burden? She deserved better!”</p><p>Hestia seemed surprised by her outburst, and Luz knew it wasn’t a good idea to scream at goddesses, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Amity was gone.</p><p>“That’s not exactly what I meant,” Hestia said slowly, thankfully deciding not to take what Luz had said personally. “I meant that she is not the hero in the prophecy who is supposed to die.”</p><p>“What do you mean supposed to die? Nobody was supposed to die!” Guilt was beginning to eat its way up into Luz’s chest. She’d promised Amity things would be different, that maybe the prophecy was misleading. Now she finds out that wasn’t true?</p><p>Was Amity the wrong one? Even if she was, would Luz be able to handle Willow or Gus dying in her place? She didn’t have to ponder those horrific thoughts for much longer.</p><p>“Luz, you are the hero whose life ends.”</p><p>Luz was stunned into silence, her whole body freezing up.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Hestia is watching her with careful eyes. They were so much warmer now that she’d been freed and Belos had fallen. She seemed to glow, her whole body illuminating a soft sheen. The healthiest nine year old she’d ever seen. She also shimmered with a sort of power, one that made Luz feel weird about looking down on.</p><p>But she was hooked onto Hestia’s words, desperate to understand. Hestia’s bright amber eyes flickered between Luz’s own brown ones, searching for something.</p><p>“It cannot be Amity who dies. It was her prophecy that foretold a death, but her hands would only bear the weight of the journey. You, on the other hand, are the most important piece to the puzzle. The escape.”</p><p>“It takes four…” Luz murmured softly, remembering her own prophecy, and Hestia offered a little smile.</p><p>“Yet I only saw two of you here today.”</p><p>“Willow and Gus, my companions… they’re fighting off the demigods,” Luz mumbled under her breath, running a hand through her hair. Luz might be a little dense sometimes, but she wasn’t stupid. And right now she was wracking her brain trying to figure out what was going on. “They bought us time to come down here and save you. And… and we did. And Amity’s gone. The prophecy lied!”</p><p>Hestia shook her head. “Luz Noceda, you’re quest is not over.”</p><p>“No, it’s not.”</p><p>Luz turned her head to the sound of the new voice, and at first, she clenched her sword, worried that she had a new enemy to fight. But this… this wasn’t an enemy.</p><p>It was a man, with deep chestnut coloured skin and wavy dark brown hair that was styled neatly on the top of his head. He had a chiselled jaw, and a clean five o’clock shadow covering his face. His eyes were light brown, and as Luz examined him closer as he slowly walked towards them, she noticed that there was a tiny slit in his thick eyebrows.</p><p>He was wearing an expensive-looking, slim-fit, dark blue silk suit, not dissimilar to the color of the one Luz wore to the fake prom, which already felt like eons ago. In his hand was a winged staff, with two real snakes curling around the ends of it. A Caduceus.</p><p>She would have known who he was without her new knowledge of the Greek Gods. Her Mami had always talked about him this way. A very successful businessman from Brazil, who'd she only met because he was vising the country on a work trip.</p><p>Her father, Hermes.</p><p>If Luz wasn’t so wired with grief, anger, and exhaustion, she might have been excited to meet him.</p><p>The messenger god was walking slowly towards them, towards Luz, and for a moment, she saw what looked like hesitance cross his face. It infuriated Luz. He’d been gone for her whole life, never bothering to show up or be there for her, and he chose now to intervene? Now to make his grand appearance?</p><p>A week ago, she would have felt honoured. Now, it felt like a slap in the face.</p><p>“Hello, Luz.”</p><p>She wanted to scream. To whip out her sword and slash <em>Aletheia</em> right across his face. But Luz didn’t have the resolve she wanted. She was upset, hurt, and heartbroken. She didn’t want to be angry at a father who’d never been around. That felt like an overreaction. She didn’t want to overreact. She just wanted Amity back.</p><p>“Hola, padre.”</p><p>It was colder than her usual tone, and Hermes didn’t miss it. He winced, and Luz felt a tiny twinge of satisfaction in her gut. He didn’t deserve to feel comfortable around her.</p><p>“I… know how you must feel about me,” he said quietly, “and I don’t blame you for it. I’m sorry.”</p><p>“You’re sorry?” Luz echoed, her eyebrows furrowing in disbelief. “Sorry doesn’t cut it! I’ve been on this quest with just my friends without your help for almost two weeks. I’d been alone my whole life before coming to camp. Now Amity…” her voice breaks, and she shakes her head. “You should have been there. You should have <em>helped</em> me!”</p><p>“I have done my best to aid you on your quest,” Hermes insisted, gesturing to the sword in her hand. “I guided you to Peleus’ sword, the first key to the mountain. It’s the same one I enchanted centuries ago for him. I granted Aphrodite’s chariot great speed to get you to Indiana. You asked me to bless your throw in Orpheus’ manor, and I did just that.”</p><p>“You left my Mami,” Luz said through gritted teeth, even if her brain was buzzing with new information. “You left me to grow up with her alone.”</p><p>“Your mother is a strong, brave, and dedicated woman,” Hermes said with a nod. “I wanted to be there for you, but it was not my place to do so. All demigods must grow up alone, without the guidance of their goldy parents. And you are special, Luz. I could not interfere with the prophecy.”</p><p>She looked down at her now-battered white shoes, which had been brand new when she’d first come to camp. She wanted to argue with him. To go on and put Hermes in his place for being an absent father. But she just didn’t have the energy to argue with a god.</p><p>Hermes stepped forward, reaching out to her. Luz didn’t push him away. He settled his hands on her shoulders firmly.</p><p>“Luz, look at me.”</p><p>She looked up and blinked. She’d been wrong about his eye colour. They weren’t brown, but a deep bronzy hue. They were narrowed in a determination she thought was familiar. As she looked on, she realized why. It was not dissimilar to the look Alador had given her right at the end of their one on one conversation.</p><p>“"Por favor,” he pleaded, “déjame ayudarte."</p><p>Luz swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure how she felt about her father, but at the very least, she owed this much to Amity to do her best to finish the quest they’d started, even if she couldn’t.</p><p>“Okay. What do I need to do?”</p><p>Hermes was quick to step back and give Luz space, this time turning to Hestia, who Luz had completely forgotten was standing there.</p><p>“The portal will not be closed until we can make sure Belos will never be able to activate it again. His soul has reappeared in Charon’s office, just as it did the first time he died. He will be taken across the River Styx for trial, but he had prepared for something like this. His portal is on the outskirts of the Underworld, between the Fields of Asphodel and the River Acheron. Instead of wandering past the line with the dead, he will take a secret passageway back to the portal, and will try to open it again from the inside.”</p><p>“That makes no sense,” Luz retorted, “we’ve freed Hestia. The portal just can’t reopen without her.”</p><p>Hermes nodded, “you’d be right, usually. But the portal was able to fuse with the mountain and lock in Hestia’s hearth. She could be on Olympus, or on the moon, and it still wouldn’t matter. Her divine essence has fused with it.”</p><p>“Okay, so how do we stop the portal from reopening?”</p><p>Hestia and Hermes shared a look, and reality hit Luz like a truck.</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, Luz. But you’ll have to be the hero one last time,” Hestia said softly. “The portal must close.”</p><p>And Luz agreed. Amity had fallen down a mountain for this. For all of this to be over and done, and for Belos to never be able to hurt any demigod ever again.</p><p>“I’ll do it. I’ll go to the Underworld and close the portal.”</p><p>Hermes’ mouth twisted into a smile, something between pride and amusement. “It won’t be easy. You’ll have to get past Belos and his army. But I’ll help you in every way I can. You won’t be alone.”</p><p>Luz’s brow furrowed. “What, you’re coming with me?”</p><p>“Not quite,” he replied with a chuckle. It was deep and grizzly but also somehow soothing and gentle at the same time. “The Olympians cannot cross into Hades' realm without his consent. But I am not just the god of travelers, you know. I am the god who guides all traveling souls to the Underworld. I did not just come here to guide you, Luz. I came here with a message. There is a soul the pantheon has agreed to spare if you complete your quest and stop this portal from bringing the downfall of Olympus.”</p><p>Luz's heart started to race. Did he mean…?</p><p>Hermes reached out and placed a hand back on Luz’s shoulder. This one was much gentler than the last, firm grip. It was almost fatherly.</p><p>“Amity is not a casualty of this prophecy, Luz. The two of you must destroy the portal from the inside, and stop Belos for good. You’ll find her waiting in line to be judged. But a warning: she won’t be the demigod you once knew. Many in the Underworld need to be reminded of who they are.”</p><p>Luz wasn’t worried about that. Amity was the strongest person she knew. When they were together, they were unstoppable.</p><p>“She must hurry,” Hestia muttered, rubbing her palms together. It was a weird gesture, she was moving so quickly it looked like she was trying to catch a flame between her hands. “I can already feel my powers weakening.”</p><p>“I can’t go without telling Willow and Gus,” Luz said, preparing to turn and sprint back up the mountain path from which she came.</p><p>“You must! We are out of time,” Hermes said with a shake of his head. “<em>It takes four to escape, and release goddess caged</em>”. They have their own role to play in allowing the portal to open, and guarding it while you’re on the other side. And… they will need to recover Amity if her soul is to come back with you.”</p><p>Luz hesitated. She’d come so far with their help, she couldn’t just… leave.</p><p>The hand on her shoulder gave a comforting squeeze. “Luz, por favor, se nos acabó el tiempo. I will stay here, and guide them while you are gone. I swear it on the River Styx.”</p><p>“As will I,” Hestia said with a nod. “I swear it.”</p><p>Luz took a deep breath. She needed to get a grip. Besides, after all this, what was one more quest to the Underworld to stop an evil demigod from taking over the world?</p><p>Easy peasy.</p><p>“Okay. When we find the portal, how do we close it?”</p><p>“You will need this,” Hestia said, and Luz realized that she hadn’t just been rubbing her hands together for nothing. In her hands was a tiny flame, and she extended it out to Luz. “One touch with this on the portal and it will open for you and Amity to walk back through. When the power of my hearth has touched both sides, I will be able to use it to burn the connection between us. The portal should fall apart.”</p><p>Luz was a little nervous to take the flame, but she was surprised how easy it fit in her hand. There was no burning like she thought, but rather a warm tingling sensation right in the middle of her palm. After a moment, it shrank and shifted into an ambered coloured plastic lighter.</p><p>“A warning,” Hestia added, and Luz glanced up at her tone. “Only a living soul may harness my hearth. It is yours and yours alone to carry.”</p><p>Luz nodded, gently setting the lighter in her pocket. “I won’t give it to anybody else. I promise.”</p><p>“Then it’s time,” Hermes said, and Luz tilted her head to look up at him. “I must allow you to pass into the Underworld. Are you ready?”</p><p>More than she would ever be. She shrank Aletheia back into a ring, letting it rest onto her finger. She was going to go down there and bring Amity back if it was the last thing she ever did.</p><p>“I am. So, how do I get there? Are you going to lend me a flying chariot?”</p><p>Hermes laughed. “Not exactly. Take my hand.”</p><p>He extended it out for her, and Luz took it. She was surprised how soft it was for a god, but then was somehow equally surprised when he gripped it tightly, not letting her go. His other hand came down to the front pocket of her shorts, the opposite on to where she put the lighter, and he slipped something inside.</p><p>“I need you to look at me and not look away. This won’t be pleasant, but it’s the only way for a living soul to travel through the Underworld unscathed.”</p><p>Then, Hermes started to glow. At first, it was oddly beautiful, his whole body lighting up golden around the edges of his suit, like a picturesque model of a Bloomberg business magazine. Then, it got uncomfortable, and Luz was squinting, and she knew right away her eyes were starting to burn as it got brighter and brighter.</p><p>It was bordering on painful when her head started to get woozy. “Dad, are you sure this won’t kill me?”</p><p>The last thing she remembers is his soothing, deep-throated, chuckle. “Well, I've never done this before, but even so I'm fairly confident it will work.”</p><p>The burning got so bright she couldn’t see anything but white, and her whole body tingled like she was burning alive without the excruciating physical pain that should have been paired with it.</p><p>Then, there was nothing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. The Underworld and It's Airport Security</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello hello!</p>
<p>I'm back with another chapter. You guys really seemed to love the last one, so I felt super motivated to come on and write another. My classwork is crying for me, but for once I don't seem to care :)</p>
<p>Without further ado, let's see what Luz get's herself into this time!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She woke up in the lobby of a doctor’s office.</p>
<p>At least, that’s what it looked like. It was eerily quiet, with those plastic chairs with the huge armrests and people milling about. Some were sitting in chairs, a few standing near the bulletin board on the back wall. She saw a woman in a red coat, a man in a tie checking his watch, and a little boy holding a five dollar bill tightly in his hand. They just looked like perfectly normal mortals. Nothing out of the usual, but something about them put Luz on edge. She couldn’t place why.</p>
<p>There was no line for the receptionist, which Luz found odd.</p>
<p>She took a deep breath, and inhaled stale air, trying to remember what had just happened.</p>
<p>The portal. Saving Amity. Dad…</p>
<p>She still had <em>Aletheia</em>, which was resting on her finger. Luz checked her pockets. In her right was Hestia’s flame/lighter, and she ran her thumb over protectively. It was hers to carry from now on. In her other pocket, the one Hermes had been fiddling with, was a huge gold coin, with a circumference almost the size of her thumb, embezzled with the symbol of the Caduceus. She had no idea what she was going to do with that. Maybe it was an advance on a birthday gift?</p>
<p>In her back pocket, she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, and when she opened it, her eyes widened. It was a circle with a line in the middle, and three flames above each section. Alador had given this to her. He’d said that Hestia was the balance between worlds.</p>
<p>Maybe if she ever saw him again, she’d have to tell him he’d been right. But based on her last interaction with Amity’s parents went, she doubted she’d be welcome back to the Blight manor.</p>
<p>“Next!”</p>
<p>Luz jumped. Somebody behind the receptionist counter was waving for her impatiently, and before she even realized what she was doing, she was stepping forward.</p>
<p>The man behind the counter was… even more off-putting than the people in the lobby. He was wearing a very expensive-looking Italian suit, and he had dark hair that was slicked back. When she walked up, he was tapping his foot, like Luz should have known to walk up quicker.</p>
<p>“Name?”</p>
<p>Luz paused. Should she reveal that? She had no idea where she was. But the tapping of his foot increased the longer she hesitated, so she just threw caution to the wind.</p>
<p>“Luz Noceda.”</p>
<p>He looked down at a paper in his hand, frowning. “I don’t see you on our list. What was your cause of death?”</p>
<p>“Cause of death?”</p>
<p>He looked up and his lips thinned. She got the feeling people asked that one a lot.</p>
<p>“Cause of death. I hate to break it to you, but if you’re here, it’s because you're dead. If you can’t remember how you died, and I know some mortals like to block that out, could you at least tell me where you were at your time of death?”</p>
<p>So that’s where she was. Some kind of in-between world between living and dying. Now that she looked back at the other patrons in the lobby, Luz was kicking herself for not picking up on it sooner. All the patients in the room were sickly pale and seemed to have a shimmer to them that she now recognized as the reason Luz had been so thrown off. They were all dead, and waiting for their turn to move on.</p>
<p>But was she dead too?</p>
<p>Luz had been fairly certain Hermes hadn’t killed her, but if she was being honest with herself, she couldn’t really remember how she’d gotten here.</p>
<p>She didn’t feel dead, but she took stock just to be safe. Her heart was still beating. She was still gross and exhausted from the battle on Mount Pelion. She was sweating. All good signs of being alive.</p>
<p>“I’m not dead. I mean, I don’t think I am.”</p>
<p>The man rolled his eyes, eyeing her up and down. “Look I deal with a lot of mortals like you-“ He suddenly stopped, his eyes widening the longer he looked at her. Luz figured he finally picked up on the fact that she wasn’t, in fact, dead. The surprise left his face, and it shifted back to one of disinterest.</p>
<p>“I can’t help you.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean, you can't help me?” Luz asked, peering over at the name tag on the counter. “Charon?”</p>
<p>His eyebrows lifted, and despite his blank face, Luz had a feeling he was pleased. “You got my name right. Most people think I have the same name as that gods forsaken horse… look, kid. You’re at the entrance to the Underworld. I don’t know exactly how or why you’re here, seeing as you’re dead, but I can’t let any of the living past this point. Policy rules and all.”</p>
<p>Luz frowned. What was she going to do now? Hermes hadn’t given her any kind of instruction on what to do when she got here, or where she’d even go. But she couldn’t just leave.</p>
<p>She wracked her brain, trying to think of everything she knew about the Greek Underworld. There was the king, the god Hades, and his wife Persephone… Charon was a familiar name, but she just couldn’t place where she’d heard it…</p>
<p>Then, she turned and saw that the little boy had gotten in line, the five dollar bill still clenched tightly in his hand. It clicked.</p>
<p>“You’re the ferryman to the Underworld.”</p>
<p>He nodded. “Yes indeed. And I’m on strict orders to only take the dead across the River Styx. So, I'm sorry, but you'll have to come back when you’re dead.”</p>
<p>“I can pay you.”</p>
<p>Charon hesitated, his eyes narrowing. “With what?”</p>
<p>“I’m not here for myself,” Luz said, finally understanding what Hermes had done. “I’m a daughter of Hermes, here on behalf of the Olympians on official business. I need to be on your next boat.”</p>
<p>She took out the coin, placing it confidently on the table. Charon’s eyes widened.</p>
<p>For a second, Luz thought he might refuse her, and she froze. She'd never even considered that Charon might not like her father or any of the other Olympians. But then, looking quickly around the room, he swiped the coin, standing up with a tight smile.</p>
<p>“Of course, daughter of Hermes. We’ll leave right away.”</p>
<p>Luz paused, turning to look at the little boy who was still waiting patiently for his turn. “Make sure you check him in too.”</p>
<p>Charon grimaced, but shrugged, waving him forward. The boy walked up and stood next to Luz, dropping the five in Charon’s hands. It was bright blue and plastic-looking. Canadian money.</p>
<p>“Name?”</p>
<p>“I'm Cooper!”</p>
<p>He huffed. “Well, we only have one of those on the list today. All right, come on then, follow closely behind this Hermes kid.” Then, under his breath, so low that Luz almost missed it, “Hades knows I don’t want that god on my bad side again.”</p>
<p>Charon led Luz and Cooper out of the lobby and into an elevator. Horrible 80’s music was playing when the doors finally opened, and Luz got smacked with an entirely new sight.</p>
<p>The Underworld.</p>
<p>Luz had seen it in her dreams a few times through the portal, and it was just as bleak and as terrifying as she remembered it being. The air was stale, and probably didn’t smell that great, but Luz had gotten used to Death Mist, so this was nothing. They were on a dock, coated in rotting wood and Charon led them onto a gondola with a few other souls, batting extras away as he started to push it off into a dark black river. The Styx.</p>
<p>When Amity had sworn she’d free Hestia, she swore on this river. Luz wondered if she’d still have fallen off the mountain if she’d been the one to cut the chains instead of her.</p>
<p>She looked back toward Charon and recoiled, almost falling into the water from her shock. Instead of a suit, he now wore a thick black robe. His face was sunken and skeletal like he'd been dead for several days.</p>
<p>Charon started to push the boat down the black river. The boat rocked, and Luz quickly sat down, her heart hammering in her chest. She was really here, and it was terrifying. She wished she wasn't alone. Willow might have put an arm around her shoulder reassuringly, and Gus would be spewing facts too fast for her to process any of this fear. Amity might have held her hand as the boat moved, and squeezed it to remind her that everything was going to be okay. Now that she'd gotten used to having her friends around, she really forgot how lonely it was to be alone.</p>
<p>Cooper took a seat next to her, seemingly oblivious to the terror around them, instead just watching the sights with awe.</p>
<p>“It's so amazing!” He whispered to her. Luz frowned. Maybe he’d hit his head before he died. Luz could think of a scroll of places better than this, including the dumpster shoot behind her Mami's apartment. But he couldn’t have been older than seven or eight, so Luz wasn’t going to be the one to break it to him.</p>
<p>“Yeah, it sure is,” she said, forcing a smile and hoping it wasn't a grimace.</p>
<p>“My mommy would love to live in a place like this,” he whispered to her, “it smells like Nana’s house by the beach. And the man pushing the boat looks just like my daddy. They have the same color hair and everything!”</p>
<p>Luz frowned, looking to Charon and back to Cooper. They looked nothing alike. While Charon looked like he haunted funeral homes, Cooper was blond and bright-eyed. And she hadn’t been to many beaches before, but she was certain they didn’t smell like this.</p>
<p>“Where’s your mommy, Cooper?”</p>
<p>“I dunno! She told me I was allowed to walk to the convince store and buy candy and pop.” Cooper said with a shrug, too busy leaning over the gondola towards the river to pay much attention to her.</p>
<p>He reached forward to stick his hand in the water, and Luz leaned forward to stop him, her gut screaming at her that it would not be good. Behind her, Charon shook his head.</p>
<p>“Don’t touch! You’ll burn your whole hand off.”</p>
<p>But as he said that, Luz touched his hand. Instead of feeling solid flesh, her hand passed right through the murky layer around him, and her whole world shifted. For just a moment, she saw things the same way he did.</p>
<p>Now, Charon was a tall, handsome, blond man in colorful bathing suit shorts and a white tank top. He was gently scolding Cooper, “Don’t touch! You might fall in!” Cooper pulled back, laughing in delight.</p>
<p>The Underworld was beautiful. Clear blue skies, the air clean and fresh. They were riding in a pontoon boat over a clear blue lake, and there were ducks chattering in the water near them. In the distance, she could see the shore. People waited, laughing and talking, standing near a freshly painted dock and a cozy-looking cottage.</p>
<p>She quickly pulled back her hand out of his mist, her shoulder blade hitting the side of the gondola. Then, she was back.</p>
<p>“Holy Hermes…” she muttered, blinking to stay focused. She was thrown off from not being able to grab his arm, but then she felt stupid. Of course she wouldn't be able to touch him. He was dead. Then she'd seen his vision... what in Zeus' name was that all about?</p>
<p>“Some mortals just can't handle seeing the world as it actually is,” Charon whispered to her and chills shot up her spine at the sound of his voice right near her ear. “For poor folks like this one… ones who’ve barely lived, they don’t deserve to be scarred like that. Not that it matters, anyway. He doesn’t need a judge to tell him where he’s going to end up.”</p>
<p>The gondola finally knocked against the shore, and Charon pointed to something in the distance. There, she got her first glance at the real entrance to the Underworld. Lines upon lines of spirits, separated into two lines to pass through what looked almost like airport security.</p>
<p>One line was moving so quickly, Luz could barely keep up. It was like there was no security at all for this line besides the metal detectors. It was marked as the “EZ” line. But the other was in a totally dead stop, marked as a line towards the Judgement Pavillion. Luz shivered when she heard barking, and saw a massive, three-headed Rottweiler eyeing each of the spirits walking through the metal detectors like he was just waiting to swallow one of them up.</p>
<p>Beyond that, Luz saw the Fields of Asphodel. It went on for what seemed like miles, and in the distance, she spotted a giant obsidian castle. The palace of Hades. To the left of the Fields, Luz flinched and looked away. It was the Fields of Punishment. She was fairly far away, but she could still hear the shouts of agony in the distance. Maybe it was best she didn’t dwell on it.</p>
<p>But just to the right of the Fields of Asphodel, Luz’s eyes widened. It was an actual gated community in the Underworld, with beautiful, thick, trees, and the sounds of people laughing and enjoying a barbeque. It was such a shock from what was on the other side of the pathway, that Luz almost didn’t want to tear her gaze away.</p>
<p>Elysium. Cooper would be in good hands. </p>
<p>Luz, however, would have to take the more daunting trek. First, she had to find Amity. And in a realm with billions of souls, she had no idea how she was going to do that.</p>
<p>Thanking Charon with a low whisper, Luz climbed out of the boat as it docked. She had no time to waste. Amity hadn’t been down here much longer than Luz had, and if she didn’t want to completely lose her trail, she needed to find her and quick.</p>
<p>As she waded through spirits, she was desperately looking anywhere for a splash of mint hair. She checked the entire EZ line, careful not to get too close to Cerberus before she finally accepted that Amity wasn’t anywhere in the wafts of moving souls. Then, it hit her.</p>
<p>Of course Amity wasn’t there.</p>
<p>She had always been an overachiever and prided herself on being the best of the best. It was stupid of Luz to ever think she’d willingly take the boring Fields of Asphodel for eternity when there was another option.</p>
<p>So, she started checking the line to the Judgement Pavilion. As she walked through, she heard some disgruntled murmurs from the souls and was quick to hold up her hands.</p>
<p>“I’m not cutting! I’m just looking for someone.”</p>
<p>That seemed to be pretty unusual because souls didn’t bother her much after that.</p>
<p>Luz was thanking every god she could think of that the souls in this section looked much more lively than the ones she’d seen in line for the Fields of Asphodel. These souls remembered who they were, and we're proud to get in line and be judged. She hoped that when she found Amity, she would be feeling the same way.</p>
<p>Gods, if only she could find Amity. She checked every soul, walking up and down the line for what felt like hours.</p>
<p>Then, she saw her. Her back was to Luz, a few souls ahead of her, and she looked exactly as she did right before she fell down the mountain. Her mint green hair was tied up in its usual style, her clothes were ragged and battle-worn, and her arms were crossed impatiently as she waited. Despite the familiarity, she, like the other souls Luz had seen, were coated in a thin mist and had that same off look about them, but it was still so obviously Amity and Luz’s heart just about shot out of her chest.</p>
<p>“Amity! Amity!!!"</p>
<p>She sprinted as fast as she could, and Amity turned her head, her eyes widening at the sound of her voice.</p>
<p>“Luz?”</p>
<p>Luz slammed into her, fully planning to wrap her arms around her, but instead only managed to lose her footing, and fall right through Amity. There was no vision this time as she slammed into the coarse sand of the Underworld, groaning. Right, Amity was dead. She wouldn't be able to touch her. </p>
<p>As she crawled to her feet, she felt disappointment wash through her. It wasn't fair. All she wanted to do was hug Amity. She was standing stiff behind Luz like she couldn't believe her eyes. </p>
<p>"Luz, is that really you?"</p>
<p>The disappointment faded to something else entirely when she heard her voice. It was just as it had been before she'd come to the Underworld. Her knee was stinging, and there was probably another hole in her leggings, but she couldn’t recall another time she’d been so relieved in her life. She stepped towards her, reaching out only to slowly remove her hand before it touched her face. It wouldn't work anyway.</p>
<p>“It's me. It's really me." She said, though she could barely believe her own eyes. "I... I thought I’d never see you again," she whispered, her heart hammering tightly in her chest.</p>
<p>“Luz, what are you doing here?” Amity breathed out, clearly just as shocked.</p>
<p>“Oh you know, just some of the usual quest stuff,” Luz said with a chuckle, and Amity recoiled in surprise. She eyes Luz up and down like she was looking for any signs Luz had changed.</p>
<p>“Another quest? I… I didn’t think I’d been down here that long…”</p>
<p>“What?” Luz asked, blinking. “No! It's the same quest I’ve been on this whole time. Amity, I’m here to take you back.”</p>
<p>Amity’s mouth dropped open, before closing and reopening multiple times. “Luz… I… I’m dead. I can’t just… I can’t just go.”</p>
<p>“But you can!” Luz insisted, reaching forward to take her hand. Her fingers passed right through, and she looked down, frustrated. Amity flinched, pulling her hand to her chest. “You’re not at the judging pavilion yet. You haven’t been entered into the Underworld officially. Amity, I’m here to fix this.”</p>
<p>“You can’t fix a prophecy, Luz,” Amity said with a stern shake of her head, even though her eyes were dark with sadness. “Look, all this is over. I… I died, yeah, but that’s how it was meant to be. I knew that, and I know you do too.”</p>
<p>“We were wrong. Amity, we’ve been wrong this whole time! Look, I met my Dad just after you…” Luz swallowed hard, and Amity looked away, biting her lip. Luz took a quick breath and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. He told me that this wasn’t over. What closes on one side has to close on the other too. I’m here to make sure the portal stays closed for good, and I need you to help me. Please, Amity. Just trust me.”</p>
<p>Amity looked back at Luz, and something in her face shifted. She sighed, giving Luz a tiny smile.</p>
<p>“I can’t even die in peace, can I? Are you always going to be like this?”</p>
<p>Luz's heartbeat once in her chest, hard.</p>
<p>“Am I always going to be like what? Charming and intriguing?” Luz asked with a grin.</p>
<p>“No," Amity scoffed with a shake of her head. "I meant annoying and persistent.”</p>
<p>“Well, that depends. Are you going to step out of this line?”</p>
<p>Amity paused for another moment, looking down towards the judging pavilion with a thoughtful look on her face. After another moment, she stepped forward, gesturing for the soul behind her to move up.</p>
<p>“Alright, you've convinced me. I'm in. What’s the plan?”           </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Don't Touch the Stygian Iron!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everybody! Sorry for the wait. </p><p>School's ending soon, so I've had tons of essays. But I really love this chapter, and there is a couple of fun PJO references in this I hope you enjoy. </p><p>We're almost at the end, but I still got a bit to go before I finish this up! Hope you enjoy it :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The plan was really stupid.</p><p>Amity told her as much. It was barely a plan at all. But Luz didn’t really see what other choice they had, especially since they were on a time crunch.</p><p>Once Amity had stepped out of line, Luz realized she had no idea where the portal was. She knew her father had said it was between the outskirts of the Underworld and the River Achaeon, but she had no idea where that was. So, they ducked away from the crowds of souls to hide inside a cave in one of the smoky black hills just outside the entrance of the Underworld and rested against a pile of blackened rocks until they figured it out. Luckily, Luz didn’t have to guess for long.</p><p>“The secret passageway is about half a mile from here, buried near Orpheus’ tunnel,” Amity mumbled quietly to her, and Luz was so startled by her breath so close to her ear (it wasn’t warm like when she was alive… it felt like an icy chill in her ear canal) she jumped about three feet in the air.</p><p>She smacked her head on the rock they were hiding under and recoiled. “Owwww!”</p><p>Amity’s eyes widened, leaning in. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”</p><p>It wasn’t a sharp rock, but when she pulled her hand away it was stained red. It was a stupid injury, even dumber than the blood on her knees that was still drying from earlier, but Luz was starting to figure out that she couldn’t be her usual klutzy self if they wanted to escape.</p><p>The Underworld was… almost worse for the living than the actual earth. Injuries here hurt twice as bad and drained twice the strength they were supposed to. She would have to be more careful.</p><p>“I’m fine. How do you know that?”</p><p>Amity flushed. Well, Luz assumed she did, it was hard to tell behind the mist.</p><p>“I’ve seen it in my dreams.”</p><p>Luz gawked. “Your dreams took you to the Underworld? Mine were just in the mountain!”</p><p>Amity rubbed her forearm uneasily. “I told you that my nightmares weren’t like yours. Before I started the quest, I wouldn’t get many flashes of the mountain. Most of my nightmares… well they took me here.”</p><p>“This whole time you’d been having those dreams and you didn’t tell me?”</p><p>Luz frowned, not wanting to think too hard about what that meant. That she’d known the whole time dying was something that would happen to her, and that Amity had been lying to Luz since they rescued her. It didn’t make her angry… she understood why she’d done it. Amity was the kind of person stubborn enough to shoulder her burdens away so her friends wouldn’t worry. But it certainly called into question everything that had happened right before she fell off the mountain…</p><p>Like the kiss in the tree… or the one right before she’d battled Belos. Had Amity only done that because she’d known she was going to die?</p><p>Amity flinched, and Luz’s frown deepened. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Amity’s feelings, or make her feel guilty for what had happened. It definitely wasn’t her fault.</p><p>She wasn’t sure what she was even going to say, and thank the gods she didn’t have to. The most horrific sound of metal clashing against rock cut off the rest of their conversation, and Amity’s eyes widened.</p><p>“Get back! Someone’s coming in!”</p><p>Luz slid under a boulder deeper in the cave just as she heard the harsh laughter from a pair of male voices. Very familiar male voices.</p><p>“Those little demigods really thought this would just be over like that? They have no idea. Though the one with the plant magic really got you good, eh <em>Theo</em>?”</p><p>“Holy Hades, do you ever shut your mouth? Maybe if you hadn’t underestimated the daughter of Aphrodite we wouldn’t be back here. Did you know she had the favor of Ares?”</p><p>Theseus and Achilles, and by the sound of it, a dead Theseus and Achilles. Amity was watching quietly from behind the rock, and Luz did everything she could to calm her racing heart, worried any noise at all would give them away.</p><p>What even happened to souls who died in the Underworld? She decided she didn’t want to test it by getting caught.</p><p>“Hmph. Of course, I didn’t. It doesn’t matter. As long as that portal is open we can avoid judgment and I don’t have to see Paris’ slimy face again. Why would they let <em>him</em> be a judge of the dead? He started a gods-forsaken war!”</p><p>“But for no power-hungry purpose. That makes him perfect .”</p><p>“Whatever. Let’s just hurry. If the Emperor finds out we didn’t join him right away…”</p><p>“We did our due diligence. The mines are clear, and I don’t see any of those silly little demigods following us. It would take them well over a day to get to California or New York. I don’t care what the prophecy says, they’re mortals. Even they abide by physics.”</p><p>“Unlike us! HA!”</p><p>I heard the sound of a smack, the kind of backhand her Mami would give for coming home late without texting her where she was. “Lower your voice! Do you want to be caught by the kindly ones <em>again</em>?”</p><p>“That was one time!”</p><p>Slowly, the voices began to fade, until Luz couldn’t hear a thing besides the beating of her heart. She looked up and watched as Amity peered over the rock, her murky golden eyes narrowed in concentration. Eventually, she moved, and the mist around her moved too. She gestured for Luz to stand.</p><p>“They’re gone. Let’s hurry.”</p><p>Luz was more than ready to agree until she caught sight of her reflection in the rock she’d been leaning against and her eyes widened.</p><p>“Wait. Holy Hermes, what is this stuff? Black glass?”</p><p>She finally took a moment to examine the cave they’d been hiding in and realized that it wasn’t a cave at all. There were dark iron pickaxes, and smoking set of carving tools leaning against the entry. Just to the left of the strange metal, deeper in the cave was a bright light. The closer Luz stepped to it the quicker she realized that it wasn’t light. It was blistering hot magma, half a mile down the cave. Above the tools, there was thick scarring on the wall, like someone carved into it. Initials.</p><p>NDA.</p><p>“This is the mine they were talking about,” Luz realized in awe, looking around at more of the strange black material that was as dark as a nightmare. “But… what’s getting mined?”</p><p>Amity swallowed hard, suddenly looking nervous. “Stygian Iron. This is a Stygian Iron mine, right next to the River Styx.”</p><p>“Let me guess. This is very bad?”</p><p>Luz was getting really tired of not knowing things. Thankfully, Amity seemed to catch on, those she still looked like she was going to bolt at any second.</p><p>“Stygian Iron is a metal from the Underworld. It’s… probably one of the scariest kinds of weapons a demigod can make. When you kill a monster with it, instead of its essence returning to Tartarus, it gets sucked into the blade and trapped forever.”</p><p>Luz thought that was pretty cool. Maybe she should have killed Lena the <em>empousai</em> with it, and she’d never have been bullied again. But Amity still didn’t look pleased. Then, it hit her.</p><p>“Wait… what does Stygian Iron do to mortals?”</p><p>“Like all godly weapons, it passes right through mortals. For demigods who are alive, a cut from the blade might slow you down and exhaust the limbs, making you easier to kill. But for the souls of dead demigods…”</p><p>A shiver ran up Luz’s spine at the silent implication. She stepped forward, ready to usher Amity out of the cave and away from the black metal.</p><p>“Ok, well don’t touch it. Let’s just go.”</p><p>“Wait! Not yet.”</p><p>Luz stepped back, shocked. It’s like something hit her all at once because instead of fear, Amity now had that look on her face that made her nervous. The gears were turning, and there was no stopping her now. Amity leaned in to examine the ore, and Luz’s heart sped out of her chest.</p><p>Luz was so worried about her accidentally touching it, she tried to pull her away, once again forgetting she couldn’t. Her hand passed right through her shoulder.</p><p>“Amity, you just said this stuff is really dangerous, so why do I think you’re going to try and mess with it?”</p><p>“Because this might be the key to stopping Belos,” she insisted.</p><p>Luz wasn’t convinced. She didn’t see how any rock that could suck Amity away would in any way be useful. Amity sighed, gesturing to it with one misty finger.</p><p>“Luz, just think about it. What if the only way to stop Belos is to trap him, just like he trapped Hestia?”</p><p>She stopped cold. Now that was something she hadn’t considered. Now the gears weren’t just turning in Amity’s head. She started making connection after connection, and before she could even think about what she was going to say it was out of her mouth.</p><p>“Hestia said the prophecy was supposed to be about me.”</p><p>Amity flinched like Luz slapped her. She might as well have. Amity had gone through hell and back literally thinking that she had to be the one to make the sacrifices, to be the good demigod girl Odalia always said she needed to be, and here Luz was blurting in her face that it was all for nothing.</p><p>“I… I didn’t mean it like that-” Luz tried, already regretting her impulsive decision.  </p><p>“It doesn’t matter,” Amity said flatly, and Luz winced. She opened her mouth to try and protest, but with a misty shimmer, Amity’s hand was up and stopping her from saying anything else. “We’re on a mission and a time crunch. We need to stop Belos before that portal rips open again and we’re right back where we started. We don’t have time for this.”</p><p>Luz bit her lip, holding back another protest. She was right. There was no use arguing.</p><p>“Okay. So what do we do?”</p><p>Amity’s gold eyes glittered, and for the first time since Luz reunited with her, she actually looked alive.</p><p>“We make you a dagger.”</p><p>Despite Amity not being able to touch the Stygian Iron, she leads the charge when it came to crafting.</p><p>She instructed Luz on how to use the tools NDA left behind to pick up a chunk of iron. Then, she mimed how to hammer it down into a sheet. She helped Luz separate the Iron from the regular steel, and slowly shape a hilt out of it. (Thankfully, Luz didn’t have to help with that, Amity was able to touch the steel and do it herself from there). After that, they moved down into the sweltering heat of the Underworld magma and Luz repetitively carved out again and again until the tiny heap of metal looked something like a blade. Thankfully, NDA had left behind heat protection. An enchanted suit to keep Luz’s skin from melting off her body.</p><p>Funny. The suit was almost exactly her size. If she ever met NDA, she’d have to thank them.</p><p>After hitting the mallet against the glowing iron for what felt like the billionth time, Luz turned to Amity, exhausted. She hadn’t needed a suit, being dead and all. Apparently, the heat just felt like a sauna.</p><p>“How do you even know how to do all this?”</p><p>“One summer my parents wanted us to work with another cabin and master one of their skills. I picked Cabin 9 and basically lived in the forges that year. I didn’t just make my own <em>xiphos</em>, but one for Ed too, and then I was able to use the extra sheet for Em’s knife.”</p><p>“You made your sword?” Luz gawked, thoroughly impressed.</p><p>She shrugged her shoulders, mist moving up and down as she did. “The stones on our blades come from the ones Aphrodite gave us. I figured once I told you that you’d put two and two together.”</p><p>“How was I supposed to know that you made your own sword?” Luz exclaimed, waving the white-hot metal around as she did. “Who <em>makes their own sword??</em> Is there anything you can’t do?”</p><p>Even when she was scolded for waving around molten iron, Luz couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of pride that even in the Underworld, she’d been able to make Amity laugh.</p><p>In no time at all, the iron was ready. With careful hands, Luz was instructed on how to push the hilt gently against the blade, and hammer it down while it was still hot. Then came the tricky part.</p><p>“Stygian Iron doesn’t become fully formed until it’s cooled, and the only way to do that is by dipping it in the Styx,” Amity explained, looking left and right down the black sandy beaches to see if anybody was coming. “Whatever you do, <em>don’t touch </em>the water.”</p><p>She remembered Chiron’s warning to Cooper and shivered. Luz approached carefully, swallowing. Very careful not to step anywhere near the slow lapping oil-colored waves, she gently lowered the metal into the water.</p><p>First mistake.</p><p>The second it went under it made the loudest, most heinous sound Luz had ever heard. Like the screams of a thousand souls dying all at once.</p><p>She shrieked, almost dropping the blade entirely as she pulled her hand back, bringing the newly cooled weapon with her. The sound of her scream echoed around the clearing, and there was a clammer of noise from the distance, the same direction Theseus and Achilles had left down.</p><p>Second mistake.</p><p>“Luz, go!” Amity hissed in her ear, and Luz took off running, glancing behind her once to make sure the daughter of Aphrodite was keeping up. She lost a little bit of speed as she did, and Amity glared daggers at her.</p><p>“I’m right behind you! Away from the cave! We have to blend in!”</p><p>The noise was getting louder, and Luz knew they were almost out of time. She had to trust Amity. The cave was compromised, it would be the first place they checked. But from what they’d overheard from the two newly re-dead demigods, there was a whole army waiting near the portal, and they had a new fancy weapon that just might save the day.</p><p>Luz kept running, keeping to the outskirts of the River along the sandy beaches, away from the mine and closer and closer to the distant River Acheron. If she could get there before anybody sounded the alarm, hopefully, nobody would think twice about her and Amity being there with them. If they didn’t buy it, they were dead. But if they stayed here, they were also dead.</p><p>It was their only chance.</p><p>Luz heard the gathering demigods before she saw them. And thankfully, the screams and shouts of outrage weren’t directed anywhere towards her.</p><p>It was chaos.</p><p>Demigods of all ages and from all time periods were throwing punches, kicks, and body-slamming other dead demigods to the ground. Left and right ghosts were dissolving away, but just as many seemed to take their place. There was cursing, screaming, shouting, as they brought up centuries-old baggage and Luz knew right away she wasn’t going to fit in.</p><p>Not because she was alive. Because she couldn’t get stuck running straight through this crowd. She’d stick out like a sore thumb just because nobody would recognize her.</p><p>In the time she spent standing there like a deer in headlights, Amity caught up to her and gestured for her to hide behind a boulder. She slinked in next to her, and Amity’s own wide eyes reflected the anxiety she was feeling.</p><p>“What are we going to do now?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Luz said honestly, peering up over the rock. She clutched the new blade to her chest, unwilling to part from the thing that she’d just risked her life to make. It was just under a foot long, and was, if possible, an even darker shade of black than the ore or the River itself. It was shoddy crafting at best (Luz never wanted to touch a forge ever again) with faulty lines and a bumpy edge but it was sharp as anything and shimmered maliciously, and the raw hilt of the iron against Luz’s hand rubbed callouses into her palm. “Do you think we lost whoever was chasing us?”</p><p>“I think so,” Amity said, peeking. “Screaming in the Underworld is not that uncommon. I made sure nobody saw us. But I don’t know how you’re going to get through that crowd.”</p><p>Luz spared a glance, a silently agreed. She watched as one of the demigods knocked another’s helmet clean off their head, and it went spinning into the sand landing barely two feet from Luz and Amity’s rock. The spirit dissolved into thin air, and the victor roared in delight before charging back into battle.</p><p>“How are they dissolving?” Luz mumbled, shaking her head. “Aren’t they dead?”</p><p>“They’re between worlds,” Amity explained, “Guided by Belos’ portal to wait until they are fully reformed. They can carry weapons, wear armor, anything that might guide them until they can drink Pomegranate Nectar in the mortal world and become human again.”</p><p>Luz stared at Amity, who might have blushed again. “I dreamed about this clearing a lot, okay?”</p><p>“What is Pomegranate Nectar? The sounds like something they sell at Whole Foods.”</p><p>“It’s the liquid in Belos’ chalice,” she added, and Luz suddenly remembered the table next to the portal with the golden cup. “The first few batches were made from stolen Pomegranates from Persephone’s garden, but you can use any Underworld fruit to make it.”</p><p>Right. Underworld fruit. This day just got better and better.</p><p>“Why aren’t you a half soul like the other demigods here?”</p><p>Amity looked at her misty body, frowning. “I don’t know. Maybe I haven’t been dead long enough.”</p><p>The fighting in the clearing got more intense and Luz ducked as a body slammed into the rock they were hiding behind and dissolved, their chest plate hitting the dirt with it. There were more shouts and screams, and Amity ducked next to her in alarm.</p><p>“We need to move.”</p><p>“I have an idea,” Luz said to her, already shaking her head. “But it’s crazy.”</p><p>“Sounds like us. Let’s try it.”</p><p>So, Luz crept around the rock and swiped the helmet and chest plate off the beach, putting them on as quickly as she could. She tucked the Stygian Iron blade under her shirt in the back of her armor straps, careful not to reveal it. To finish the look, she opted to call for <em>Aletheia</em>, and the blade grew in her hand, a comfortingly familiarity that made her feel much better.</p><p>“So? How do I look?” She asked Amity, who shrugged.</p><p>“Like a vengeful demigod. It’s a good helmet, I can’t see your face at all.”</p><p>Luz peered over the rock one more time just to see another angry demigod get run through with a sword. She flinched, and Amity tucked her fist under her chin in worry.</p><p>“This is so not going to work.”</p><p>“It’s going to work,” Luz insisted, even though it wasn’t exactly an encouraging sight. “Demigods are still demigods, even if they’re a thousand years old. This would work at camp. It will work here.”</p><p>She turned to look at Amity, realizing for the first time this meant they’d be separated. Amity seemed to sense this, and she shot Luz a small smile.</p><p>“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m the one who can’t die, you know that right?”</p><p>“What if I lose you in the crowd?” She fretted, the frown stretching across her mouth. “What if the portal opens, and I don’t have time to pull you through? What if somebody recognizes you and-”</p><p>“Luz!” Amity exclaimed, stepping forward and shaking her head. “Please, don’t worry about me. We have a plan. Just focus on getting to the portal without getting stabbed, and this time don’t look back. I’m right behind you.”</p><p>“You promise?” Luz hated how weak her voice sounded. Like a little kid worried she was going to lose her mom in the grocery store.</p><p>“I promise,” Amity said firmly, and Luz’s heart pounded against her chest as she tore her eyes away. She had to get a grip. She was on a mission, and she was going to bring Amity home. She just needed to focus. But the lingering fear was still there, and she wanted to kick herself for it.</p><p>“Luz, please,” Amity muttered, stepping so close to her that the cold rush of mist forced Luz to look back at her eyes. They were pleading, and Luz was smacked with the realization that Amity was just as worried as she was, but not for her, for <em>Luz</em>. Amity didn’t want her to run in their worried and get herself killed. “You have to trust me. I’m right behind you.”</p><p>That was enough for her. Amity was the most determined person she knew. If she said she was going to be right behind her, she would be right behind her.</p><p>“I do trust you,” Luz said, tightening her grip on her sword. “Stay close. I have a battlefield to avoid.”</p><p>The two of them stepped out from behind the rock, and Luz’s heart sank. Somehow, it seemed to have gotten even larger. In the distance, up the steepest Underworld hill Luz had seen yet, was a shocking replication of the swirling iron and obsidian portal back in the mountain. Luz had played enough Minecraft to know that it probably wasn’t a replication, but the real deal, something that appeared the same time the other one had been built.</p><p>She had hundreds, maybe even a thousand demigods she had to barrel through on the way to get to it. With all their slashing and hacking, she’d be lucky if she made it twenty feet in.</p><p>“Are you sure about this?” Amity hissed next to her, eyeing the crowd of ghostly demigods uneasily.</p><p>“Nope,” Luz said, taking a deep breath. “But when am I sure of anything?”</p><p>“Please, don’t get yourself killed,” Amity said, “I haven’t even gotten the chance to kick your butt at capture the flag back at camp.”</p><p>“Like that will ever happen,” Luz snorted, adjusting the helmet as she got ready to charge. “I’ve been getting lots of practice. You wouldn’t get ten feet near my flag.”</p><p>“Is that a challenge, Noceda?”</p><p>“It’s not a challenge, Blight. It’s a promise. See you at the top.”</p><p>She lowered her head, and with the loudest, most demigod-y scream she could muster, she charged full force towards the crowds of demigods, barreling in a straight line towards the portal.</p>
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<a name="section0033"><h2>33. I Partake in a Really Stupid Full Frontal Assault</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>NGL I am so sorry about the wait on this chapter. Between work and school, (and living in Ontario, the pandemic is kind of a mess over here) things have been kind of crazy! </p><p>Luckily, I'm done with school! And I only work part-time right now, so I should be able to write the final few chapters fairly quickly!</p><p>This one is longer than usual. Hope you enjoy it! Thank you all for your patience and stay safe &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a couple of minutes, she had been doing great.</p><p><em>Aletheia</em> blended in seamlessly with the weapons of the other dead demigods. Her helmet was old enough that it didn’t raise suspicions, and the chest plate covered up her mortal clothes just right. She was able to scream and sprint right through the crowd which parted for her as they continued their battles with one another.</p><p>The trick was so simple but so dangerous, she had to believe nobody would think twice. There was really no other option.</p><p>“AUGHHHHH!” She shouted, ducking under a spear and continuing her sprint. One demigod scuttled backward in shock as she waved her sword around furiously. Another cheered alongside her, excited to see the shedding of more blood.</p><p>She blocked a spear, pushed away a smaller demigod's shield, and kept charging. Swords swiped over her head in passing as other demigods clashed with one another, screaming just as loudly as she was.</p><p>Holy Hermes. This was actually going to work.</p><p>Soon, she was just another blip in the field. Another helmet-covered face in the crowd. Her own human flesh was hardly any different from the revived bunch, and they couldn’t see much around her covered face. Her hands were moving too quickly around her sword to zone in on. Most of them were too focused on staying alive. Or… less dead?</p><p>She was starting to feel much more confident. Between her secret weapon buried in the straps of her armor and the rush of adrenaline from throwing herself into battle, she easily crossed two or three football fields through the rush until she was really neck deep in the battle. The portal was barely visible on the top of the hill around the swarms of demigods.</p><p>Just for a moment, she faltered. She’d run straight through the thick of it and had been for at least a few minutes to cross that much space. Was Amity still behind her? She turned, ready to spare a glance when a horrible roar shot a chill right down her spine.</p><p>She knew that voice.</p><p>She turned back towards the portal and the ongoing crowd, watching as a demigod right in front of her was sliced through the chest, his body being thrown back into another demigod with a horrible crash.  </p><p>Right in the middle of the chaos was a demigod she was hoping to never see again. Achilles.</p><p>He’d swapped out of his muscle tank for a bronze chest plate, and if he’d had a helmet at some point he didn’t anymore. His eyebrows were knitted together and narrowed in focus as he slashed and hacked. But this wasn’t like the Achilles who’d been scoffing at Theseus by the mine or picking fights with Luz and her friends back in the mountain.</p><p>This Achilles felt much more serious. Almost like he actually feared the battle. This might have reassured some, especially since Achilles was known for his arrogance and power, but to Luz, this only made him seem that much more deadly.</p><p>It looked almost effortless the way he lifted his sword, slashing down another demigod barely taller than her. He’d obviously swapped his spear for a far more deadly weapon, a five-foot bronze <em>falcata</em>. Luz couldn’t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction that Amity had been the one to kill him again, but right now all she could worry about was trying to get around him without being noticed.</p><p>As she tried to skirt around the edges of the battling demigods, she almost had her head knocked clean off by another sword. She raised her own to deflect it, meeting the gaze of a young demigod who couldn’t have been much younger than Achilles, though he looked nothing like him. While Achilles had layers upon layers of muscle, this demigod was almost skinny, with mischievous brown eyes behind his helmet, and smooth tan skin despite the half-dead, half-alive look the revived demigods had. He swung with his own <em>xiphos</em>, and Luz barely had a second to deflect before he swung again.</p><p>This demigod was fast. He was also cocky, and he turned his head to eye Achilles with an almost devilish smile.</p><p>“Just like old times, eh? Is this what you’ve been getting up to while I’ve been waiting my turn for revival?”</p><p>Luz had a moment to jump away when another demigod slashed forwards, and he had to deflect. She did her best to blend back in the crowd at the distraction, especially when she heard another sharp cutting of metal and a scream, followed by Achilles' angry shout, “Patroclus, be more careful!”</p><p>Luz continued to slash and hack her way through the crowd, her only thought to put as much distance between her and Achilles as possible. She was draining fast, and not just because the demigod Patroclus had been stronger than she’d thought. Her arms ached from working in the mines and then charging into battle, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had any sleep at all.</p><p>If she didn’t get to the other side soon, she’d drop from exhaustion.</p><p>She continued the charge, deflecting swipe after swipe and making sure her face covered by the protection of the helmet. She didn’t know if any of these demigods had fought her inside the mountain, but she did not want to be recognized here.</p><p>She could see the portal in sight now. It was maybe less than a hundred feet up the mountain, surrounded by demigods, yes, but at least in her line of sight. If Amity was already at the top, she would just have to wait until she spotted her before she used the flame to open the portal one more time and pull Amity through with her.</p><p>But that wasn’t the plan. And as much as it pained Luz to admit that she couldn’t just sneak her way out of this one, Amity had made a really good point. The quest couldn’t end until Belos was taken care of for good. And Luz had the closest thing to a plan strapped to her back.</p><p>But he wasn’t in sight. And Luz had no idea where he would be if not by the portal.</p><p>As she met another demigod's strike, she scanned the crowd desperately for Amity. She would know what to do and where to go. She just needed to find her.</p><p>She was so focused on scanning the crowd she had no time to react as another demigod lunged from her left. She had no choice but to lean as best she could, and white-hot pain seared across her side as the sword split the armor and grazed her ribs. The pain was excruciating, doubling by the tenfold just from being in the Underworld. Blood spilled down her side, and the demigod who’d cut her froze, his mouth dropping at the sight.</p><p>In between painful breaths, Luz realized revived demigods weren’t supposed to bleed. Before he could sound the alarm, she lashed out, spearing him right through the chest with <em>Aletheia</em> and watching as his body disintegrated.</p><p>If she didn’t close the portal soon, he’d be back.</p><p>Stumbling through the crowd half-blinded by the pain, she scuttled behind a group of boulders nestled about fifty feet from the portal. Hiding behind them, she dropped to her knees and inhaled sharply, clutching at the wound with her hand and hoping the pressure would stop the bleeding. When she looked down to assess the damage, her head spun.</p><p>It felt bad because it <em>was</em> bad. It wasn’t deep enough to kill her right away, but it was long enough and bleeding enough that it was soaking through her shirt and down her armor. If she had nectar or ambrosia, she’d have been fine, but she didn’t and she had a mission to complete.</p><p>She needed to pull herself together. But right now, all she could think about was the pain in her side.</p><p>She pictured Amity, rolling her eyes at her stupidity. “What did I tell you, Luz?” She’d say with an annoyed sigh and a crinkle between her brows. “Don’t look back!”</p><p>She’d be right of course. Luz did look back. Exactly what she told her not to do. Her nose crinkled, thinking about the last demigod in the Underworld who wasn’t supposed to look back. She didn’t like the idea of making the same mistake Orpheus had.</p><p>As she struggled to catch her breath, breathing through the pain, she realized that the shouting and the brawling from behind her had quieted. Completely quieted.</p><p>“Oh no,” she whispered, already dreading what that meant.</p><p>She had to get back out there. Pull herself to her feet and climb to the portal. But every time she tried to stand, her vision went fuzzy. She leaned against the rock for support, eventually managing to use the ridges of the boulder to stand.</p><p>Behind the rock, the gathering demigods were sheathing their swords and turning to face the portal. As Luz’s eyes trained upwards, her lip curled on its own accord.</p><p>Belos was standing at the stop next to the portal, his white cloak shimmering and his neon eyes boring down on the gathering demigods. The crack in his mask from where Luz had stabbed him was still there, and in his hand, he was holding his pointed staff.</p><p>He was waiting for the crowd to settle. He must have called for their attention. Luz saw Theseus standing with a man in white robes and a golden chest plate, and then Achilles and Patroclus moving forward to take a position just to their left. Orpheus was on their right, still without a bow, his hand wrapped tightly around the shoulder of a woman wielding a dagger.</p><p>“Children of the gods!” He called, extending his hands as he spoke. His voice echoed around the clearing of the Underworld, rattling inside Luz’s ears. More magic. “Today, we rally together for the last time. With the strength of the portal I have created, we will charge onto Mount Olympus and tear it down brick by brick!”</p><p>There was a chorus of cheering from the gathering demigods. Spears slamming into the earth, swords clacking against shields, it was chaos. Belos lifted his hand again, and it was silent once more.</p><p>“Every one of you is here for a reason. Whether you were scorned by the gods for your skill, bravery, or passion, I have lifted you all from the darkness of the Underworld and brought you life once again! I have revived back your allies, your friends, your loved ones, and together we will grant ourselves a new life on the mortal world. It will be ours for the taking, and I, your Emperor, will lead you in glory and rid the world of the gods who have wronged us!”</p><p>Luz swallowed as cheering erupted once again. So that was why the demigods joined up with Belos. It was about more than revenge. In payment for his service, Belos had brought back Achilles’ boyfriend Patroclus. That man next to Theseus… that was his father who’d leaped off the roof of the palace when he returned home. That woman with the dagger was Euridyce, the woman who’d faded after Orpheus looked back.</p><p>Belos raised his hands again. “But children, we are not done yet. There is one more demigod who must join our ranks, and lead the charge on Olympus beside us as an ally!”</p><p>He waved someone forward, and from behind his shoulder came a shadowy spirit. The misty figure of-  </p><p>Luz’s heart stopped.</p><p>Amity crept forward, and the crowd erupted into jeers.</p><p>“Aphrodite’s brat!”</p><p>“What is she doing here?”</p><p>“Send her to the Fields of Punishment!”</p><p>Luz lunged out from behind the rock and towards the crowd, falling into rank as she lurched forward with the rest of the demigods. Her side screamed out at her and she stumbled as she charged, leaning on her sword for support. Had the whole crowd not erupted into fury, she would have been caught for sure.</p><p>“Now, now! Hold my children!” Belos called, his voice silky and smooth. The crowd came to an uneasy but eventual stop. Luz didn’t move, now between the second row of demigods less than fifty feet from Belos. Her heart was hammering with questions. How did Amity get there? What did Belos want with her? But as the misty face of Amity scanned the crowd and found her, there was something almost pleading in her gold eyes that made Luz want to charge forward and forget the plan altogether. She had to get to her, had to get her out of Belos’ slimy gloved hands and through the portal-</p><p>“We all know what the gods are capable of. They use us as their pawns, and very few of us ever learn that in life. Some of us die painful deaths and only then do we learn the truth. We mustn’t hold that against every demigod that wants to join our ranks.”</p><p>He gestured Amity forward, who took a few more tentative steps towards the crowd.</p><p>“Amity here has repented to me, and seeks to join us, just as many of you have before.”  </p><p>Luz sought to meet Amity’s eyes again, and though her face was neutral, hiding most of her fear, Luz could see right through it. This was a desperate act. A distraction she was praying Luz understood.</p><p>She scanned the clearing, looking for any kind of out for them. She was hyper-aware of the blade on her back, pleading with every god she could think of that she would find a way to get to Amity and kill Belos, all while running through the portal without being killed by the swarms of angry demigods.</p><p>The odds weren’t great.</p><p>“But, I am favorable to the feelings of those I have revived,” Belos continued, his voice dropping dangerously. Chills shot up Luz’s spine, already dreading what he was going to say next. “I require that one of my soldiers vouch for the strength and dedication of Amity Blight. Should any hero welcome her into my army, she will be rewarded with life. Should nobody volunteer… well, the Styx always welcomes new souls into its depths.”</p><p>Amity’s misty face, if possible, paled even further. Laughter range out around the gathering demigods, many of their faces twisting in malicious delight.</p><p>“Oh gods,” Luz hissed under her breath. Panic was quickly rising in her chest. She needed a plan, and fast.</p><p>When nobody stood forward, Belos tisked, but it was almost like a cat ready to play with its prey. There was nothing reassuring about it.</p><p>“Come now, nobody vouches for her? What about you, Achilles? This Blight did best you on Mount Pelion.”</p><p>More snickering rose, especially from Patroclus on his right, and Achilles stepped forward, his face red with both embarrassment and barely concealed anger.</p><p>“Beating me once is simply a fluke. This Blight will bring nothing to our table.”</p><p>Belos hummed as the crowd broke out into more cheers. “Very well. And you, Orpheus?”</p><p>The demigod stepped forward, turning up his nose at Amity. “I would hardly call this one strong. At my manor in Kansas, she could barely stand, never mind tear down Olympus.”</p><p>Luz grit her teeth in fury as the crowd cheered again, clenching her sword tight in her hand. Her rage was rising in her chest, so quickly she was easily able to block out the horrific pain in her side.</p><p>“My, my, this sure is a tough crowd,” Belos chuckled, leaning into his staff. “What about you, Theseus? You had quite the hand in this quest.”</p><p>Theseus shot Belos a cocky little smile, stepping forward almost too casually. “I was more invested in the little Noceda girl. While I’m sure she would be devastated to find out her friend is a traitor, I see no need in keeping her around. All loose ends should be tied if you truly want my opinion.”</p><p>Luz was seeing red as the crowd burst into more cheers. She took a few more steps forward, so infuriated by the arrogance of the revived demigods she wanted to just shank Aletheia right through all of them.</p><p>The second she thought it, Luz came right to a halt, an idea bubbling forward before she could stop it. Arrogance. That was all of their fatal flaws. These demigods were all so arrogant, their pride came before everything else. A demigod would sooner die than admit they were wrong, or that their actions were their own faults. It’s what had brought every single one of them here, to this clearing in the Underworld.</p><p>Maybe all Luz had to do was blow it up. Fight fire with fire, arrogance on arrogance.</p><p>Belos was still chuckling, clearly amused by the gambling of Amity’s afterlife. Next to him, Amity was standing completely still. Luz would do whatever it took to get her out of there, and she had a pretty good feeling that if done right, this would work.</p><p>“Come now, children,” Belos cooed, “will none of you vouch for Amity Blight?”</p><p>Luz gathered up all her strength, and with a deep breath, charged straight out of the crowd and towards Belos. There was a series of shocked gasps from the demigods as she did, and Belos’ eyes watched her curiously as she stepped forward, reaching for her helmet and throwing it off her head and onto the floor. For just a moment, deep satisfaction ran through Luz as she watched Belos’ eyes widened, obviously floored she was standing in front of him.</p><p>“I will, Belos,” she said, pointing her sword at him. “Amity is the strongest, bravest, and most honest demigod I know, and anybody would be honored to have her fight alongside them. That’s why I’m going to kill you and destroy this portal once and for all. I challenge you!”</p><p>There was half a second of complete silence. Most of the crowd looked stunned, mouths open and shoulders hunched in awe. Next to Belos, Amity shot her a proud little half-smile that sent butterflies right through her chest. Then, a furious roar began to take over the crowd. Luz braced herself, ready to be run right through by a hundred swords when Belos’ eyes narrowed and a deep shout, louder than anything she’d ever heard in her life, belted across the clearing.</p><p>“THAT IS ENOUGH.”</p><p>An eerie hush fell over the crowd. Luz couldn’t see behind the dark narrowing of his neon blue eyes, but she imagined that Belos’ jaw was grinding his teeth together. She’d put him in a tough position. Ignore the challenge, and he looked weak. Accept, and there was a chance he would lose.</p><p>“You think you’re special, demigod?” He hissed, stepping forward and gripping his staff. “You think that some prophecy will save you? A new age will dawn, whether you like it or not. And here you are, bleeding out on my soldiers field, ready to die for this cause.”</p><p>“I’m not special, and neither are you!” Luz retorted, taking two confident steps forward. “All I see is a cowardly demigod unwilling to fight his own battles and command his army. You hide behind others to do your dirty work. What makes you better than the gods?”</p><p>There was an uncomfortable shuffle in the crowd as they processed what Luz was saying. Belos laughed, shaking his head.</p><p>“I brought them life again! I will bring them a new world of peace!”</p><p>“You scare them into submission,” Luz said certainly. “You’d make no better a leader than the gods. That’s why I’m going to stop you for good. Right here, right now.”</p><p>Luz didn’t have to look behind her to know that the gathering demigods were considering what she was saying. It was all over Belos’ face. Right there, for just a moment, she was more arrogant than him. She had control, and he was going to fight her tooth and nail to get it back.</p><p>“Alright, little demigod,” he hissed, spinning his staff into a sword. “Let’s play.”</p><p>He charged right at her, and Luz met his first strike furiously with one of her own. A deep metal clang echoed around the clearing, and for a moment, both of them strained against one another. Luz ducked, letting the force of his sword throw him off balance, and aimed a stab at his calf. Belos deflected, and Luz had no choice but to step back as he swung again.</p><p>“Sloppy work at best,” Belos spat, and Luz grit her teeth, reading her next swing. Behind them, the roar of the crowd spurred her on, and she made brief eye contact with Amity, who was discreetly trying to make her way towards the portal. Her expression told it all to Luz: make it quick.</p><p>She was right. Luz might have been angry, but so was Belos. She needed to keep matching him, arrogance for arrogance until he let his guard down just enough…</p><p>Metal met metal again. Luz kept at him, swipe after swipe. But she was weakening, lightheaded, and exhausted, and she had no idea how much longer she could keep this up. The only reason she was still alive was that Belos was taken aback because she had been the one to issue the challenge. He was surprised, but she was out of his depth.</p><p>It didn’t take long. He smacked the flat end of his blade hard against her shoulder, and she stumbled backward and hit the ground on her back. The crowd jeered behind her as she struggled to sit up, but Belos kicked her back down with his boot.</p><p>Her side screamed at her as she rolled, and she lay on her back in the dirt gasping for breath. <em>Aletheia</em> skidded towards the portal, leaving her unarmed. But behind her, the straps on her armor had loosened, and she felt ice-cold metal slide down her back. The blade.</p><p>Belos marched over to her, shifting his sword back into a staff and pointing it down threateningly at her. “Did you really think you could kill me here, demigod? I am their <em>Emperor</em>.”</p><p>Luz carefully adjusted the straps on her armor, feeling the dagger slide further down her shirt. With her back to the portal and her eyes to the crowd, nobody would have noticed the little action, especially since genuine agony ripped across her face.</p><p>She just needed one more little shimmy, and it was out.</p><p>“You come to my camp, antagonize my army, and you think I’ll just bow and cower?” Belos continued, and Luz looked up and met her brown eyes with his cold neon ones.</p><p>“I mean, I was kind of hoping you would.”</p><p>Belos growled, quickly losing his patience. He reached down and grabbed Luz by the strap of her chest plate, and Luz took that opportunity to shimmy one more time. With a satisfying plop, the knife hit the dirt behind her.</p><p>“You are every bit as loathingly arrogant as your father.”</p><p>It took everything Luz had to not scream in agony has Belos pressed further into her armor, and then into the wound. But with every last bit of strength she could muster, she leaned up towards his face.</p><p>“Do you want to hear a fun fact?”</p><p>“What?” For a second, Belos was completely taken aback, and Luz used that moment to reach behind her, gripping the hilt as tightly as she could.</p><p>“My dad wasn’t just the god of travelers and merchants,” Luz said, unable to keep the smile off her face. “He was also known as the divine trickster.”</p><p>And with all the force she could manage, Luz spun the dagger around and sunk it right into his chest.</p>
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<a name="section0034"><h2>34. I Challenge the Lord of the Dead to a Staring Contest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hi everybody!</p><p>We're nearing the end now :) Thank you so much to everybody who's stuck around to read this fic, it's been an absolute pleasure to write. The next chapter is going to be the final one, and epilogue of sorts, and I really hope you guys enjoy the way I wrap up this fic.</p><p>Once again, thank you guys so so much. I never expected the crazy amount of interest this fic would get, and I'm so happy that after six months you are all still so invested in it. You have no idea how much it means to me to see your comments and kudos.</p><p>I hope you all enjoy the second to last chapter! It's a very long one. &lt;3</p>
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    <p>The effect was instantaneous. Belos howled as the blade sunk right through his robes, all the way to the hilt. Like mist being sucked into an eerie wind, his very essence began dissolving into dust, like any monster might. But instead of piling into the ground, it seemed to sink right into the blade, disappearing into the black metal.</p><p>First went his legs and arms, then his chest, then finally, with one last deadly glare that seemed to sink right into Luz’s soul, Belos disappeared completely inside the blade. With a loud thunk, his mask hit the dirt and rolled a few feet away from her, coming to a complete stop in the black Underworld dirt.</p><p>Belos was gone.</p><p>Luz swallowed hard, blinking down at the blade in her hand. It was, if possible, even darker and more menacing than it had been before. Dark mist swirled beneath the iron, and Luz couldn’t help but feel a small pang of guilt. Even if it was Belos, it was a pretty horrific way to go.</p><p>A wave of fury erupted over the crowd.</p><p>“She killed him!”</p><p>“That’s Stygian Iron!”</p><p>“Kill her! Avenge the Emperor!”</p><p>Luz quickly tried to scramble to her feet, but she couldn’t get far. Her side erupted with pain, spilling blood onto the dirt from her quick movement. Her whole body trembled with pain and exhaustion, and she couldn’t manage more than leaning on one knee.</p><p>But she wasn’t going to die, not now. Not when she was so close.</p><p>“Luz!” Amity cried out, and she felt the misty form of Amity surround her. Her hand passed right through Luz’s shoulder in an obvious effort to help her to her feet. She growled in frustration at the lack of contact and knelt next to her, scanning her over. When she saw the slash in her side, her gold eyes widened. “Oh gods…”</p><p>Luz’s throat was too dry to respond. She tried again to stand, but the trembling in her hands couldn’t get her a good grip on the sand to try and heave herself to her feet. She heard the thundering of footsteps approaching her and braced herself for impact.</p><p>Amity looked up and her eyes narrowed in rage. For just a moment, her misty form shimmered, and she held out her hand.</p><p>“Get back!”</p><p>For a brief second, it worked. The crowd skid to a halt about twenty feet away from them, gripping their weapons like they wanted nothing more than to charge. Amity’s form rippled, the mist around her body rippling a bright pink.</p><p>“BAH!” Achilles roared, holding his sword up. “You think you can control us, little girl? Your mother can’t help you here!”</p><p>“Belos is gone,” Amity retorted, “he can’t help you either. There is no more crossing to the other side of this portal, whether you like it or not. This is over.”</p><p>“It’s not over until the mortal who killed him pays the price!” Orpheus called, lifting his own weapon. “Belos restored us to our former glory! He was going to be out Emperor!”</p><p>“And look where that got you! Do you think he can come back and save you now? Belos was always doomed to fail. He’s gone. Killing Luz won’t bring him back.”</p><p>Luz watched as this slowly started to register over the crowd. Many of the gathering demigods were still, almost as if they were beginning to realize that without Belos, they wouldn’t cross over to the mortal world: not really. Belos never got the chance to activate it.</p><p>Of course, Luz did have a key of her own. A one-use failsafe, that she had to make sure the demigods never discovered. She needed to get her and Amity to the portal, and fast. But with the wound in her side, fast wasn’t something she was capable of.</p><p>“Don’t let her into your head!” Theseus growled, taking a slow step forward. “The portal is still open. We can still pass through!”</p><p>“You can’t,” Luz coughed, finally able to wobble herself upwards after snatching up <em>Aletheia </em>and using it as a cane. She staggered back a few steps, using the edges of the rocky portal to hold herself up. “Hestia’s flame is tied to Belos alone. Even if you were to try, the gods are waiting for you on the other side. It’s not a fight you can win, especially without Belos on your side.”</p><p>As discreetly as she could, Luz reached for the lighter in her pocket. Her hand gripped it tightly, looking over at Amity and praying that she would turn and make eye contact with her. The pink mist was still shimmering over her form, exuding raw power. Despite the stern expression on her face, it was obvious that Amity was using all the strength she could to hold back the force of the army. Her brows were knitted together, her cheeks puffed out with effort.</p><p>“Of course, Luz still has that Stygian Iron blade, if any of you would like to try getting close enough to see if she’s wrong.”</p><p>A ripple of visible discomfort washed over the crowd. Theseus scowled, raising his spear and calling to the army, “Enough of this, just kill them!” and Luz knew they couldn’t wait any longer. This was as good of a distraction as they were going to get.</p><p>“Amity!” Luz yelled urgently, and thank the gods that she understood. Without another moment of hesitation, Amity turned tail and ran towards her.</p><p>They only had a few seconds before the army was on them. Luz had to take a dangerous moment of standing alone on her two feet as her fingers closed completely around the lighter, holding it out towards the portal. Pain seared across her side, combatting with the instant warmth she felt wrap around the lighter, and as she saw Amity jerk to a halt in front of her she reached out with her hand…</p><p>And felt the immediate satisfaction of her fingers sliding between hers.</p><p>The awed and pleased look on Amity’s face was all Luz needed to flick her thumb over the metal of the lighter, and with a satisfying <em>click</em>, the portal sprung to life, and Luz felt Amity’s grip around her fingers tighten as she hastily yanked her through.</p><p>The sensation of being inside the portal was nothing she had ever experienced before.</p><p>For one, the pain in her body was excruciating. Now that there was nothing around her, well, besides the strange sensation of wind whipping around her without actually touching her, all she could really feel was the warmth of Amity’s hand in hers, the slash across her stomach, and her own exhaustion.</p><p>It was also completely dark. Luz was just praying that as the wind seemed to whip her to her destination that she was going the right way. She wouldn’t have been able to tell otherwise. She couldn’t see her own hand next to her face, never mind Amity.</p><p>The other strange thing she noticed was the complete silence. She was afraid to try and speak, she wasn’t sure if she’d scream, or cry, or throw up if she did, but she had the feeling that even if she could, nothing would come out.</p><p>It felt like hours, but also seconds. There was no way to tell. But finally, after the moment of darkness, the grip of Amity’s hand on her disappeared, and Luz went stumbling out onto the cold mountain floor.</p><p>The second her feet touched the ground, her whole body gave out. She heard a chorus of noises come from somewhere around her, and just as she thought for sure she was going to smack her face straight into the ground, strong arms scooped her up. The pain in her side flared up, and she cried out almost involuntarily, but even as she tried to open her eyes, everything around her was blurry.</p><p>She was pretty sure she blacked out for a couple of minutes because when she came too, the noises around her had escalated tenfold. There were shouts and screams, the sound of metal hitting armor, and a few loud crashes that sounded the farthest thing from natural. She was still being cradled, and she felt stinging all around her side as something wet was poured over her. When she looked up, she saw a wild mane of white hair.</p><p>“Eda?”</p><p>The look of complete concentration disappeared from her face as she shot a wide smile at her. “Kid! Thank the gods you’re alive.”</p><p>There was a huge crashing sound, and Luz’s ears started ringing as she pressed her cheek against Eda’s shoulder. “Is the mountain collapsing again?”</p><p>She shrugged, a single flash of her gold tooth poking out of the side of her mouth. “Don’t worry about it right now.”</p><p>There was another loud crash, and that was all she could remember before she blacked out again.</p><p>The second time she woke up, things were calmer. The banging had subsided, and she was lying on a sleeping bag in the corner of the mountain. The night sky was visible from the collapse that had been made inside the mountain, casting a soft light over the obviously quickly crafted campgrounds. There were a few torchlights here and there, and there was a cluster of nine figures gathered together and talking in low voices. Luz could recognize Hestia and her father, as well as Willow, Gus, Lilith, and Eda.</p><p>Relief washed over her at the sight of her friends. From what she was able to remember, there had been some kind of fight. She was glad they were okay.</p><p>Out of the new figures, Luz did recognize Aphrodite in the mix, but there was also a huge man Luz didn’t recognize, who looked a little bit too much like Achilles for her comfort. His facial features were just as chiseled as the demigods, and he had muscles on muscles to match.</p><p>Then, next to the whole group, slinking in the corner and looking like he would literally rather be anywhere else, was another man with a helm tucked under his arm that was so black it blended in with the night sky behind him. His face was daunt and narrow, and he was obviously being pestered about something by the others because his nose was crinkled in annoyance.</p><p>Then, a cold shiver snaked up her spine, and not just because the appearance of this man was the farthest thing from comforting. There was a person missing.</p><p>Where was Amity? Had she not made it out of the portal? Had the demigods caught her?</p><p>Luz did her best to pull up, but as she did, a small figure at her feet snapped its head up.</p><p>“Luz!” King cried in delight, getting to his feet and running at her. “You’re awake!”</p><p>At the same time he’d shouted, she’d tried to sit up, and the second she did hot pain shot across her stomach. She groaned and collapsed back down, and King peered over at her with concerned yellow eyes.</p><p>“Are you alright?”</p><p>Luz looked down at her stomach, which had been cut almost to shreds and was covered in blood. The actual slash across her side had been treated and was wrapped in bandages. She could already tell that to some extent it had been wrapped in nectar because the burning sensation was like hovering her hand too close to a fire rather than the all-consuming inferno it had felt like right before she passed out. But it certainly hadn’t been healed.</p><p>Even nectar took time to heal wounds like the sword slash on her stomach. Based alone on the amount of blood soaking her hoodie, she was surprised she’d been able to wake up at all.</p><p>But now she was awake, and she had questions.</p><p>“I’m okay, King,” Luz insisted with a smile, and King helped her sit up by pushing his back against hers to alleviate some of the weight. When she was sat up as comfortably as she could (which wasn’t comfortable in any sense, but it was bearable,) she turned back to the tiny hellhound. “What happened after I passed out? Did I hear… explosions? Is everyone okay? Is Amity…” the words caught in her throat and she swallowed. She didn’t want to ask, almost afraid of the answer King might give her. Amity’s hand had somehow slipped out of hers before Luz fell through the other side of the portal. Where had she gone?</p><p>“Some of those dead guys tried to follow you through the open portal. Well, a lot of them, actually. But don’t worry! Thanks to me and Eda and you know, your friends and the pile of gods that just randomly appeared after you went to the Underworld…” he narrowed his little yellow eyes, “thanks for giving us a heads up, by the way, it was totally not scary or stressful at all to find out you were in the Underworld.”</p><p>Luz smiled sheepishly, and King rolled his eyes. “Anyway, the point is with the gods helping us out, and Willow and Gus closing the portal behind them, it wasn’t much of a fight. We’re all okay.”</p><p>Luz was relieved, no doubt, but he still hadn’t answered the question about Amity. He seemed a bit more hesitant on that end, but thankfully he picked up on Luz’s anxiety because he quickly tried to reassure her.</p><p>“Amity’s okay, for right now anyways…” he said slowly and Luz swallowed hard.</p><p>“What do you mean ‘for right now', was there a problem when she tried to go through the portal?”</p><p>King grimaced. “Yes and no. Her soul made it inside no problem, but as she tried to cross worlds she got stopped by… well I guess you could call him the head of Underworld security.”</p><p>He gestured with a little claw towards the man with the black helm tucked under his arm, and Luz was smacked with the realization of who he was.</p><p>“Oh,” Luz breathed out, the severity of their situation washing over her and filling her whole body with dread. “Hades.”</p><p>“Yep,” King said with a nod. “He’s uhh… not too happy that the gods agreed to spare Amity.”</p><p>“Let me go talk to him,” Luz insisted, doing her best to grip onto the wall and pull herself to her feet. King immediately jumped to her side.</p><p>“What? Are you crazy? You can’t just talk to the Lord of the Dead. He’s… the <em>Lord of the Dead</em>.”</p><p>King seemed exceptionally nervous, which Luz thought was odd coming from him. He was usually brave if the last memory she had of him chomping on the legs of demigods told her anything. But, Luz supposed that he was still a hellhound. All monsters must fear the wrath of Hades.</p><p>Luz had been to the Underworld. It was scary. Terrifying, even.</p><p>But right now nothing scared her more than possibly losing Amity forever.</p><p>“Trust me, King,” she said, somehow managing to pull herself to her feet despite the pain in her stomach. “This wouldn’t even be like, the fifth thing most dangerous thing I’ve done this week.”</p><p>Despite his ongoing protests, she managed to get herself into a hobble and using the cave wall for support, slowly began to make her way towards the gathering group. Upon seeing her, Willow and Gus immediately shot to their feet, smiles breaking out on their faces.</p><p>“Luz!”</p><p>The chatter between the group quieted as everybody turned to look at her, and Luz, for just a moment, felt nervous. It was obvious now that she approached them that besides her friends and Eda and Lilith, the rest of this group were gods. They radiated power, from the tops of their heads to the bottoms of their feet.</p><p>If they wanted to, any one of them could snap her like a twig. Even if Hestia, who was watching Luz with warm amber eyes, exuded raw energy. And Luz had seen what she could do in battle.</p><p>Willow and Gus charged at her and pulled her into a tight hug, and even if it hurt and jostled her aching bones, she couldn’t help but immediately reciprocate. Her whole body was shaking, and to be honest, she wasn’t sure if it was from exhaustion, pain, or grief. For just a moment, she let Willow and Gus guide her towards the group, leaning on them for support.</p><p>“We’re so glad you’re okay,” Gus said, the smile still stretching across his face.</p><p>“<em>Are</em> you okay?” Willow mumbled gently into her ear, and when Luz replied with a half-hearted shrug, Willow gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.</p><p>“Kid, what are you doing up?” Eda exclaimed, rushing forward to look her over. “You should be resting. That was a pretty serious stomach injury.”</p><p>“I’m fine, Eda,” Luz tried, but with the look she was giving her, Luz knew that Eda wasn’t buying it.</p><p>“Well, you know best,” she said, and though it was clear that she thought otherwise, she wouldn’t say it. Luz felt a rush of affection for the daughter of Zeus for not pressing her further. If they were going to talk about Amity, Luz needed to be there.</p><p>“Mi hija.”</p><p>Luz turned her head, looking over at her father from where he was standing next to Hestia. He was still in the suit he’d been wearing before, his hands in his pockets as he leaned casually against the wall of the cavern. It was a strange thing to see, a god trying to be casual, but Luz appreciated it. In a weird way, it felt like he was trying. Though the formalities were a bit much, she was oddly grateful to him. As much as you could be grateful to a dad who’d never been around and finally showed up to give a hand to a dangerous quest she never really signed up for.</p><p>Next to him, Aphrodite was watching Luz with a not-so-subtle smirk on her face that immediately brought heat to Luz’s cheeks. Like the first time she’d met Aphrodite, her form was shifting as Luz looked at her. But this time now that Luz was focused and not so caught off guard, it stayed that same form of understated ethereal beauty she’d had while they talked. Luz did her best not to focus too hard on it, but any traces of her previous crushes had vanished. Except for the traces of Amity. Aphrodite still had Amity’s crooked smile, and her eyes… they were definitely gold. It hurt Luz’s heart just to look at her.</p><p>“It’s good to see you again,” the love goddess said, before looking over at Hades with undisguised frustration, “though I wish it were under most celebratory circumstances.”</p><p>“Yeah, what’s got your helm in a twist,” the guy with the muscles jeered over Aphrodite’s shoulder. He looked like he’d been drinking way too many protein shakes and drank at a few too many motorcycle clubs. He was wearing these dark aviator glasses so Luz couldn’t see his eyes, and despite being so exhausted she could barely make the walk over to the gathering gods, when she looked at him anger rose up in her chest. The defiance that Hades wasn’t giving Amity back, annoyance at the gods for giving them this quest to begin with. “Can’t you just let my feisty little grandkid go? While I am all for demigods dying gloriously in battle, even you’ve got to admit the Fates did her dirty with this one.”</p><p>Hades, who had been silent since Luz approached them, grit his teeth. “I already told you, Ares. It’s not up to me if a demigod deserved it or not. My job is to keep the dead souls in the Underworld.”</p><p>Ares. Amity’s grandfather. Luz vaguely remembered Alador telling her that he’d been keeping an eye on Amity. He was probably here on her behalf.</p><p>Ares snorted. “Right, well you’re doing a great job with that. How’d you catch the little Blight and leave the entire demigod army flooding through these doors?”</p><p>Hades' nostrils flared, and a wave of cold washed through the mountain. Luz had a bad feeling that despite his good intentions, Ares wasn’t doing much in terms of helping Amity’s case.</p><p>“Enough, Ares,” Hestia said, stepping out from her spot next to Lilith, who was watching the whole conversation with anxious eyes. Hestia took a few steps towards Luz and put her hand on her shoulder. Immediately, warmth spread through Luz’s body. “You know as well as the rest of us that Belos had his own tricks to cheat death. Had Amity played his pawn, she’d have been able to walk through that portal just as easily as he and his army.”</p><p>Played the pawn. Luz tilted her head up to look at Hestia. “Amity and I were wondering why she was still all misty, even though the other demigods weren’t. It’s because she wouldn’t try to join Belos, isn’t it?”</p><p>Hades scoffed, and Luz tensed, turning to look at the god of the Underworld. She did not want to get on his bad side right now. But instead of looking upset at her, he put his hand near his temple, like the thought of Belos alone gave him a headache. “Belos and his army had been collaborating to overthrow Olympus long before you were born, child. His methods were calculating, he was able to sneak past my armies and guards by using dark magic to keep them hidden. Unless Amity willingly wanted to join, she would not have been granted the half-life the other demigods had taken.”</p><p>“A Half-life,” Luz said, finally understanding. “That’s why we were able to kill them.”</p><p>Hades now had his full attention turned to Luz. His dark eyes looked at her thoughtfully, like he was examining a new species of insect he’d never seen before.  </p><p>“I’ve tried for many years to locate him along the River Styx. And yet, you were able to find him and destroy him in less than a day.” He reached into his cloak and pulled out a jagged black weapon, and Luz’s stomach flipped at the sight of her messily crafted Stygian Iron blade.</p><p>Luz’s fingers rubbed the inside of her palms nervously. She didn’t like having Hades' full attention. The idea of having the guy who was the biggest deciding factor in if she lived or died being interested in her… well she supposed she was justified in feeling a little uncomfortable. But she needed to get Amity back. She couldn’t afford to feel uncomfortable, not now.</p><p>“Well, I couldn’t have found it without Amity, and I couldn’t have killed him without her help making the dagger…” she hadn’t meant to, but before she knew it, she was rambling. She told the gods and her friends the entire story from start to finish.</p><p>She told them about how she showed up in Charon’s office and used the gold Hermes coin to cross the river, she told them how she met Copper on the boat and found Amity in the judging line, she explained why they had to hide in the mine and craft the blade with help from NDA’s suit, (Hades’ mouth flicked upwards just slightly at that, though he didn’t cut her off,) she told them the really stupid plan to run through the army, (Ares whooped loudly when Luz described how she’d cut her way towards the portal, and Aphrodite cooed when she told them how she was worried she’d lost Amity in the crowd), then she told them about the confrontation with Belos, and finally, lighting Hestia’s flame and jumping hand in hand through the portal.</p><p>When she’d finished, her throat was tight, and she realized she was actually trying not to cry. Next to her, she felt Willow and Gus shift and look at her, noticing the tension built up in her body. Eda and Lilith shared looks, and Hestia rubbed her back gently. The gods, for their part in the whole incident, at least had the decency to look both guilty and impressed. Even Hades’ eyebrows had lifted slightly like Luz hadn’t been what he was expecting.</p><p>Until now, she hadn’t been able to really think about what was happening while she was down in the Underworld, or even when she was battling demigods and Belos inside the mountain. But she was tired and desperate, and all she wanted was to just go back to Camp Half-Blood and sit around the fire with her friends. But she couldn’t stop yet. Not until Hades gave Amity back. So, she took a deep breath and started again.</p><p>“Look, Lord Hades,” Luz said, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “I know why you might be hesitant about letting Amity come back. After everything I saw down there, I know how dangerous it can be when unnatural forces mess with things like death. But Amity wouldn’t… she wouldn’t <em>be</em> down there if it wasn’t for Belos. And even in the Underworld, she willingly did everything she could to stop him, and make sure he would never try to hurt anybody ever again. The prophecy might be about me, but Amity… Amity’s the real hero.”</p><p>Once she finished, the other gods looked to one another, watching Hades. From next to her, Luz's friends were staring in anticipation, waiting on his verdict. Luz was shaking, doing her best to grip her hands together and try to keep herself composed.</p><p>Hades was still watching Luz, his mouth set in a deep frown.</p><p>“I don’t doubt her heroism or yours, Luz Noceda. And do not think I am unappreciative of what you did in my realm. I… have never been invested, exactly, in the antics of heroes. Usually, if I’m honest, I find them quite insufferable. You are not the first demigod to ask me to change the course of fate, you know. You’ve met Orpheus, and known how unworthy he really was to ask for my help. My wife, Persephone, has always been more doting on the heroes who come to us for help. But my help always comes at a price-”</p><p>“A price that she has already paid, Hades,” Hermes retorted, leaning on his Caduceus. Luz’s father was glaring at Hades from his position next to the other gods. Luz had a feeling this wasn’t the first time he’d said that.</p><p>“Once again, Hermes,” Hades sighed, bringing his hand back to his temple. “That is not your call to make.”</p><p>“Then what kind of price do you want?” Luz said, reaching across her wrist to draw <em>Aletheia</em>. The sword shimmered in her hand. “I don’t care what it is. I’ll go steal golden apples for you, or kill a Hydra, or kill all those demigods we left in that clearing along the Styx. Whatever it takes. You want a price? Just name it.”</p><p>Everybody shifted uncomfortably. The gods murmured to one another. Next to her, Willow whispered her name in a warning. Lilith shook her head in disbelief, but Eda just rolled her eyes, like she’d been expecting this. Luz understood their concern, and while she was more than exhausted from the ongoing quest that never seemed to end, she would do anything Hades asked if it meant he’d bring Amity back.</p><p>Luz hadn’t been sure what she’d expected Hades to say in response to that, but she definitely didn’t expect him to laugh at her. His chuckle echoed around the clearing. It sounded like a thousand souls laughing all at once.</p><p>“Demigod, you look like you can barely stand, never mind fulfill the needs of a god.”</p><p>“I won’t just abandon Amity,” Luz said with a shake of her head. Her eyes flashed, tightening her grip on her sword. “Not after all this.”</p><p>There was a tense silence as Luz met the stare of the Lord of the Dead. He seemed to be eyeing her up and down, what he was looking for, Luz had no idea. But she kept her gaze hardened on him. She wouldn’t back down.</p><p>Eventually, Hades sighed. “You demigods never give in. It must be exhausting.” He reached into his cloak and pulled out a tiny glass jar. Inside, there was a single flame, flickering like a tiny firefly. Luz’s breath caught in her throat. Was that…</p><p>“You are lucky she never crossed into judgment. Once a soul passes through, they fade from a flame to an ember. It’s one of the reasons she was so easy to catch trying to pass back to earth. Flames always have more spunk than they should.” His gaze shifted over to Hermes, who had a smug little smile on his face. “If your father weren’t such a… nuisance as a guide, the passing on process might be easier. But you’re also lucky, little demigod. The revival process is much trickier once they are an ember. As of right now, Amity Blight’s soul still belongs to the hearth. It is not mine alone to give.”</p><p>Hades’ gaze flickered over to Hestia, who had her jaw set in a firm line. “I already told you, Hades. You have mine, and the gods, consent. Do what you must.”</p><p>Amity belonged to the hearth? Luz thought back to the drawing Alador gave her. There were three flames, one beyond the portal, one in the mortal world… but then the one in the middle.</p><p>Something between a half-life, and a living, breathing, soul.</p><p>Hades snapped his fingers at Willow and Gus. “Show me the girl.”</p><p>Luz’s heartbeat sped up like she’d just eaten an entire box of chocolate fudge from Dylan’s Candy Bar. This was it. Hades was going to bring Amity back.</p><p>But then there was an awkward pause as Willow and Gus glanced at Luz, and when she realized what Hades meant, her blood ran cold. She remembered what Hestia had said right before she’d gone to the Underworld… that Willow and Gus would have to recover Amity… did that mean…?</p><p>Willow and Gus walked Hades over to the edge of the mountain, where there was a hastily assembled cot with something wrapped in a beautiful amethyst-colored silk shroud. Luz’s legs gave out, and Eda and Lilith rushed forward, stopping her from hitting the floor.</p><p>“Amity…” Luz felt like she was going to retch and pass out all at once.</p><p>“My handiwork of course,” Aphrodite commented unhelpfully. “I couldn’t have my daughter be buried in anything but silk. And that color, just perfect if you ask me, don’t you think Ares?”</p><p>The god of war shrugged. “Sure, sure.”</p><p>“It’s okay, kid,” Eda whispered in her ear, while Lilith patted her back. “She’s going to be fine.” Luz just shook her head. She knew that being a half-blood was dangerous, but she’d never really thought about what would happen to her if she’d died on her quest. And then there was the fact that it was Amity under there… nausea kept building up the more she thought about it.</p><p>“I don’t think I can look,” she said. If just the sight of Amity’s shroud made her sick, she didn’t want to know what would happen if she saw her face. Lilith nodded in understanding.</p><p>“It’s alright. The first time is always hard.”</p><p>“Not that it ever gets easy…” Eda added sadly, and Luz wondered just how many times the daughters of Zeus had seen a demigod wrapped in a burial shroud.</p><p>Luz looked down at her tattered shoes as Hades mumbled to Willow and Gus. She heard shuffling, and quiet whispering from Hades, something that sounded almost like an incantation.</p><p>“Almost done, kid,” Eda said to her. “She’s going to be just fine.”</p><p>There were a few more moments of Luz screwing her eyes shut and her stomach swirling anxiously before she heard Gus’s happy shout. “She’s breathing!”</p><p>Luz’s head immediately shot into the air. Hades had backed away from the cot, watching Amity carefully. Gus and Willow were leaning over her, their faces split into ecstatic grins. The silk shroud was gone, likely poofed out of existence from Aphrodite. Amity was lying on the cot, exactly as Luz had seen her before she fell down the mountain. Her clothes were tattered, her sword resting next to her on the cot and her shield shifted into the bracelet on her wrist.</p><p>Before she could even really process it, Luz had run across the room and was leaning hard against the cot. For one terrifying moment, Luz thought she was still dead. When she reached out to take Amity's hand, it was cold. Her face was unusually pale, her mouth set into a neutral line. But then, as she examined her further, her chest slowly started to rise and fall.</p><p>Relief washed over Luz like a tsunami. She felt like her whole body had been spellbound by one of Antheia’s flower crowns.</p><p>“She’ll wake up soon,” Hades said. His face was neutral, but Luz thought she could detect the slightest bit of respect in his eyes. “Everything should be as it should like she never fell at all.”</p><p>“Thank you,” she breathed out, “thank you so much.”</p><p>Hades shrugged. “You’ve more than earned it. The gods are in your debt, Luz Noceda. Don’t make them regret it.” He reached into his cloak one more time and extended something out for her to take. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was.</p><p>“I should keep this. Only children of Hades are able to properly wield this Iron. But I sense after your time in the Underworld, it will yield to you. If my son were here, he would insist you take it.”</p><p>“You’re son…?” Luz asked as she reached out and took the dagger from him. It was still cool in her hand like she was wielding a thousand shadows as a blade. Hades’ mouth twisted into what almost could be a smile, turning back to the other gods.</p><p>“Well, it was a displeasure to see you all again,” he said coolly. Ares scoffed, Hestia and Hermes shared irritated looks, and Aphrodite gasped, affronted. “But please, don’t bother me for at least another three decades. I’ve really had enough of all this demigod nonsense”</p><p>With a dramatic wave of his cloak, Hades disappeared, melting into the wall of shadows.</p><p>The temperature in the mountain seemed to raise another few degrees. Luz felt a weight she hadn’t realized was there lift off her shoulders.</p><p>“Hades never really changes, does he?” Hermes said with a roll of his eyes, and Ares huffed, crossing his arms over his chest like he wanted the god of the dead to come back just so he could hit him.</p><p>“Why would he? That guy is a real piece of work.”</p><p>“He brought my daughter back,” Aphrodite mused, her eyes on the cot, a tiny smile twisting across her face. “That was certainly out of character for him.”</p><p>“Even the Lord of the Dead cannot resist the charms of your daughter, Hermes.” Hestia teased, and the messenger god chuckled.</p><p>Luz was only half-listening to their conversation, more focused on watching the rise and fall of Amity’s chest and squeezing her hand. It was over. This was really over. Amity was going to wake up, and then the four of them could return to camp and leave the fate of the gods, and the dead, and the prophecies to some other demigods some other time.</p><p>Willow came around the side of the cot and put her arm comfortingly around Luz’s shoulder. “Luz, she’s going to be okay. She just needs to rest. Right now, you should focus on getting some too.”</p><p>Luz shrugged her shoulders. “I can rest when we’re out of this mountain for good.”</p><p>“Speaking of that,” Gus piped up, looking over at Eda, Lilith, and King, who had also come near Amity’s cot to check in on her. “Do you guys have money? Because we have like, <em>no</em> way of getting back to Long Island.”</p><p>Luz heard her father’s chuckle before he approached them. “Why don’t you leave that to me? I am the god of travelers after all. Besides,” he glanced over at Luz and shot her a tiny smile, which Luz hesitantly returned. “All of Olympus owes you demigods for your service. You’ve more than earned it.”</p><p>Hermes waved his staff around and took a few phone calls… well, Luz figured they were phone calls because he was energetically shouting commands into his staff like it was a phone before they were ready to go. He had summoned a flying chariot and assured Luz and her friends that these ones had passed all of Soteria’s safety checks and had been deemed a 100% smooth ride. Luz didn’t know what that meant, but she figured anything was better than the bumpy ride they’d taken the last time they flew on a chariot.</p><p>Eda and Lilith were very careful as they loaded Amity’s cot onto the chariot first. Once she’d been buckled in near the front of the ride, Aphrodite came over and leaned into the cot, whispering a blessing. Soft pink powder spread over the base of Amity’s cot, and the demigod let out a tiny little sigh. She was still asleep, but her face had shifted into a peaceful expression as she snored softly. Luz hoped that she was having good dreams.</p><p>“You take good care of her,” the goddess said to Luz as she and her friends climbed on board. “It seems like you were destined for your happy ending after all.”</p><p>Luz’s face split into a deep blush, and next to her she heard Eda and Lilith snicker. Willow let out a happy gasp.</p><p>“So you two worked your stuff out?”</p><p>“What?” Gus asked, bewildered. “What does she mean your happy ending?”</p><p>“I…” Luz didn’t really know what to say, and thank the gods Ares took his opportunity to butt in.</p><p>“Hey, kid, I just gotta say I am obsessed with that signature move of yours,” he grinned maniacally like he’d been waiting for say that for hours. “And when she wakes up, will you tell Amity that she has my permission to practice with those abominations? That girl has raw strength, and I’d love to see what she can do with some practice.”</p><p>Luz grinned, slowly warming up to the god of war. He might be a little… eccentric… but Luz was too, so this conversation was way more her speed.</p><p>“I’ll tell her. Thanks for your help, Ares.”</p><p>As Eda and Lilith climbed in with King, making sure to sit close to Amity and keep an eye on her, Hestia and Hermes walked up to Luz and her friends.</p><p>“I owe you demigods a great debt,” Hestia said to them, her eyes twinkling softly. Now that she’d been out of Belos’ captivity for some time, it looked like most of her strength was returning. She looked like… well, any other healthy ten-year-old girl that happened to have godly powers. “If there is anything I could offer you for your heroic deeds, please just ask.”</p><p>“The same goes for me,” Hermes added, leaning on his staff with a proud smile. “You are well within your right to be rewarded for what you’ve done. Zeus has already offered to fast-track the four of you for internships and opportunities to work on Olympus when you come of age. We can gift you drachmae or mortal money if that is something you desire. Perhaps we could gift the camp a new volleyball court, or an updated swordplay arena, or-”</p><p>“Actually, dad,” Luz interrupted, a small smile pulling on her own lips. “I do have something in mind, you know, for a reward.”</p><p>Hermes nodded, “I would love to hear it.”</p><p>“I know that the gods made a promise to acknowledge their children by the time they turn 13,” Luz started, chewing nervously on her lip as she thought about what she wanted to propose. “But I think it would really change the way we run at Camp Half-Blood if the gods were to try and take that a step further. Every once in a while maybe you guys could just pop by for a visit. You know, remind us that you’re there for us if we need you.”</p><p>Hermes shuffled uncomfortably like he was already dreading relaying that message to the other gods. Luz quickly jumped back in.</p><p>“I know you guys are busy, and I don’t mean you have to come by every day or anything. Just… you know. Once in a while.”</p><p>Hestia turned and shot Hermes a smug little smile. After a moment, the messenger god sighed.</p><p>“Well, I can’t argue with that. I’ll relay that message to Olympus. Ask them what they think about instilling summer visits.”</p><p>Willow and Gus shot Luz excited smiles. Luz knew they had never gotten the chance to meet their own godly parents, and after the literal nightmare they had gone through together, they deserved it.</p><p>“Thank you, dad,” Luz said, meaning every word.</p><p>Hermes' eyes softened as he took in the expression on Luz’s face. “I know it doesn’t make up for the years I wasn’t around, but I will try to make it right. I swear it on the River Styx.”</p><p>“And I will hold Hermes and the other gods accountable once I return to Olympus,” Hestia added with a smile. “I swear it on the Styx.”</p><p>Luz and her friends thanked the gods one more time before they climbed up onto the massive godly chariot.</p><p>“And I have one more gift for you,” Hestia grinned. She waved her hands, and a massive picnic basket appeared in the middle of the chariot, along with blankets, pillows, and the goblets they served at Camp Half-Blood. Inside was a variety of hot homecooked meals Luz hadn’t had in forever. There was a delicious-looking turkey and ham, roasted yellow and sweet potatoes, freshly steamed vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce, and the food just kept coming and coming.</p><p>“Holy Zeus,” Eda cheered with a whoop. As Luz and her friends wasted no time to dig in. “Hestia, you have <em>officially</em> become my favorite goddess.”</p><p>Once they were seated, Hermes tapped the back of it with his staff and a barrier rose up between them, with a window so they could see where they were flying.</p><p>“This will take you safely back to camp,” he promised. “You will return as heroes.”</p><p>Willow sighed. “I’m happy just to be returning at all.”</p><p>“Me too,” Luz and Gus said at the same time.</p><p>The gods waved goodbye to their group as the chariot slowly started to rumble as it moved along the mountain floor. It lifted off the edge, soaring into the air and out the newly made break in the side of Mount Pelion. Hermes had been right, the ride was smooth, so smooth that Luz could move right around the chariot while it was in the air despite the fact they were going fast: even faster than the first chariot had taken them.</p><p>The cityscape of Denver quickly zoomed by, and between bites of ham, Luz caught a tiny glimpse of Cherry Hills Village below her. She turned to look at Amity, who was still peacefully sleeping on the cot. Every once in a while Lilith would lean over and pour a bit of nectar into her mouth. Luz wondered if her parents would ever forgive her for the way she’d behaved the last time they’d seen them.</p><p>After the hell they’d been through, Amity deserved that and more. Luz was going to make sure she remembered that.</p><p>For now, though, she finished eating, talking excitedly with her friends about their imminent return to Camp Half-Blood. Her clothes might have been tattered, her muscles sore, and her body aching from her trek up the mountain and through the Underworld, but at the very least she was alive.</p><p>She was alive, and she was finally going home.</p><p>She reached into her backpack and pulled out her phone, excited to text her Mami all about her quest. Well, maybe not everything. Her Mami was still mortal, and there were some things that half-bloods should just keep to themselves, for their own mother’s sanity.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>follow me on tumblr @thegoodgayshit :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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